Former state lawmaker whose name surfaced in federal corruption probes faces tax trial

A onetime state lawmaker whose name came up during two federal corruption trials last year went on trial herself Tuesday for allegedly dodging nearly $100,000 in taxes.

Former state Sen. Annazette Collins has been under indictment on tax charges for nearly three years. The charges stem from the same wide-ranging corruption investigation that led to the indictments of former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan and others.

However, Collins’ indictment revolves around the work she did after she lost the Democratic primary in 2012. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michelle Parthum explained to a jury during opening statements Tuesday how Collins, after working “as a career politician,” founded the lobbying and consulting firm Kourtnie Nicole Corp.

Parthum said that Collins’ firm brought in more than $90,000 in 2014, of which she paid herself more than $40,000. Collins also made more than $95,000 selling insurance that year for American Income Life, the prosecutor said.

However, Parthum said Collins led her tax preparer to believe she’d earned only $11,500 that year.

Collins’ insurance job had ended by 2015, the prosecutor explained. But Collins’ lobbying firm brought in $188,000, of which she paid herself nearly $87,000, Parthum said. Still, Collins allegedly led her tax preparer to believe she’d earned only $12,000 that year.

In 2016, Collins allegedly filed no tax return at all. That’s despite her firm earning $162,000, of which she paid herself more than $70,000, Parthum said.

In all, Collins is accused of filing false individual tax returns for 2014, 2015 and 2018, failing to file an individual return for 2016, and failing to file her firm’s corporate income tax returns for 2015 and 2016. Parthum said Collins avoided $99,803 in taxes.

Collins’ defense attorney, Shay Allen, argued in previous court filings that Collins “was an inexperienced business owner who ran a small, solo business” and had “no formal training” when it came to tax requirements.

During his opening statement Tuesday, he insisted Collins also had “bad accountants.” The defense attorney stressed that prosecutors must prove Collins “willfully” cheated on her taxes — and he said they won’t be able to pull it off.

Still, Parthum told jurors they will see evidence that, when it came to getting paid, Collins was “organized, focused and determined.”

Collins’ name surfaced during two corruption trials in 2023, including the trial of four political insiders who were convicted of a nearly decade-long conspiracy to bribe Madigan to benefit ComEd. Not only did her name come up during testimony in that trial, but jurors last year saw a handwritten list of favored lobbyists that included the name “Annazette.”

It appeared on stationery from the Talbott Hotel and was purportedly dubbed the “magic list” by Madigan confidant Michael McClain.

Collins’ lobbying firm did work for ComEd and AT&T Illinois, both of which are caught up in the case against Madigan.

Meanwhile, jurors in last year’s separate trial of businessman James Weiss heard that Collins also worked as a lobbyist for Weiss’ company, Collage LLC. Weiss was convicted of bribing then-state Rep. Luis Arroyo and then-state Sen. Terry Link, and he is now serving a 66-month prison sentence.