Cook County Tax Assessor Official Given Probation

A former top official in the Cook County Assessor’s Office was sentenced to two years of probation on Tuesday after admitting to taking bribes and, later, helping the feds investigate corruption inside the region’s most consequential property valuation agency, the Chicago Sun-Times reported.

Francisco Perez, who served as a chief hearings officer under former assessor Joseph Berrios, pleaded guilty earlier this year to conspiracy to commit bribery.

Prosecutors say Perez accepted Chicago Bears, White Sox and Cubs tickets, among thousands of dollars in gifts, for giving favorable treatment to private tax appeal firms seeking lower property assessments for their clients.

Perez avoided prison time after secretly recording conversations with colleagues and associates as part of a yearslong federal investigation. Prosecutors called his cooperation “critical,” crediting him with helping secure search warrants and guiding FBI interviews that may have deterred further misconduct inside the assessor’s office.

Judge Sunil Harjani, who handed down the sentence Tuesday, said the case sends a clear message that “early cooperation, open cooperation, full cooperation can be beneficial in terms of the ultimate outcome of any criminal case.”

Perez admitted to steering favorable outcomes on property tax appeals, but his defense attorney argued he didn’t artificially reduce valuations that couldn’t be justified. The defense emphasized his role in exposing a workplace culture hostile to whistleblowers.

The case heats up the spotlight on the influence private tax attorneys and consultants can exert on assessments in Cook County. Despite the depth of Perez’s cooperation, federal prosecutors acknowledged that no charges were brought against other employees or law firms he implicated, citing “legal and factual factors” beyond his control.

His work added to a growing list of public employees charged with misconduct tied to Cook County’s property tax apparatus.The list now includes former assessor’s office staffers Basilio Clausen and Lavdim Memisovski, both of whom pleaded guilty, as well as a former Board of Review employee sentenced to jail time for a separate bribery scheme.

— Judah Duke