Ex-employee of assessor’s office pleads guilty

Faced charges of taking bribes to lower tax payments

A former employee of the Cook County assessor’s office pleaded guilty Thursday to conspiring to accept gifts in exchange for reductions in assessments for commercial and private properties.

Lavdim Memisovski, 43, was charged last month with accepting “home improvement materials, home improvement services, jewelry, meals, sporting event tickets” and other items from two unnamed individuals in exchange for the reductions.

Memisovski pleaded guilty to one count of bribery conspiracy in a hearing before U.S. District Judge John Kness.

Sentencing guidelines call for about five years in prison, but Memisovski’s plea agreement stated that if he continues to cooperate in the investigation, prosecutors will recommend a term of probation.

According to his plea agreement, Memisovski allegedly conspired with two property owners, identified only as Individual A and Individual B, to accept rewards in exchange for influencing the assessment process on properties they owned in Cook County. Memisovski also agreed to use his position to help lower assessments for properties owned by Individual A’s family, the plea stated.

Between 2016 and 2018, Individuals A and B and others provided home improvement services and materials for Memisovski’s residence, including a concrete pad, decking materials, dumpster usage, fascia and soffit, a fence, a gas line, heads for a sprinkler system, windows and labor, according to the plea.

As part of his plea deal, Memisovski agreed to forfeit $20,000 in ill-gotten gains.

At the time of the alleged fraud, the assessor’s office was led by Joseph Berrios, the then-boss of the Cook County Democratic Party. Berrios lost his bid for a third term as assessor in the 2018 Democratic primary to Fritz Kaegi, who promised to reform the office, which has long been seen as a den of clout and patronage.

After the charges against Memisovski were announced in July, a spokesman for Kaegi said the office now has a strict ethics code for all employees “which forbids the use of the assessor’s office for personal gain.”

“The leadership of the assessor’s office has upheld and continues to uphold the highest ethical standards for all employees,” the spokesman said in an emailed statement. “Though this person remained an employee of the office, the events mentioned in the charging document occurred during the prior administration and do not reference any activity during this administration. The assessor was not aware these charges were being considered.”

Memisovski joined the assessor’s office in 2005 and was earning about $127,000 a year until he left earlier this year, according to public records. He is free on a recognizance bond.