Cook County assessor’s official charged in corruption case with taking home improvements, jewelry to help cut taxes

Federal prosecutors in Chicago charged an official of the Cook County assessor’s office Wednesday with “corruptly” accepting home improvements, jewelry, sports tickets and other items over a three-year span to cut property assessments, resulting in lower tax bills for some property owners.

Lavdim “Deme” Memisovski was charged with conspiring with two others identified only as “individual A” and “individual B” to “corruptly accept and agree to accept” the services and items in exchange for the tax breaks between 2016 and 2018 while he was working for then-Cook County Assessor Joseph Berrios.

Memisovski couldn’t be reached.

A spokesman for current Assessor Fritz Kaegi said his office is cooperating with federal authorities and “will take all appropriate action to ensure the office maintains its high standard of ethics.

“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 spokesman said.

The four-page criminal information filed by the U.S. attorney’s office charging Memisovski was signed by Assistant U.S. Attorney Amarjeet S. Bhachu, who also is prosecuting cases against former Illinois House Speaker Michael J. Madigan and Ald. Edward M. Burke.

Memisovski has worked for the assessor’s office for several years under Berrios and then Kaegi in a department that assesses and establishes property values for taxation purposes.

Listed as an “IC Valuations Group Leader III,” he also reviewed property tax appeals for commercial properties, according to the U.S. attorney’s office.