Former Illinois State Sen. Annazette Collins faced a split decision in her tax fraud case, convicted Monday on multiple charges including filing false returns and failing to file others. The Chicago Tribune reports that after over eight hours of deliberation, a federal jury found Collins guilty of four of six tax-related offenses.
Specifically, she was charged with submitting two fraudulent tax returns and neglecting to file both a personal return and a return for her lobbying firm. Despite these convictions, she was acquitted on a charge of failing to file a corporate return in 2016 and another of filing a false tax return for herself in 2018. Sentencing is slated for June, as noted by ABC 7 Chicago.
During her time at the helm of Kourtnie Nicole Corp., formed after leaving the legislature in 2013, Collins grossly understated her income. Prosecutors argued that she reported making less than $12,000 in the year her company grossed about $120,000. The case has connections to the larger federal investigation of former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan, although Collins' charges focus mainly on her income from her lobbying and consulting firm.
Collins's lawyer, Shay Allen, has expressed strong dissent regarding the verdict, indicating plans to appeal. Allen told reporters, "I think that there was a reason, I’m sorry to say we know the reason, why these minuscule charges were pursued by the United States government," as reported by The Chicago Tribune. He labeled the case as "politically motivated," a claim prosecutors have strongly contested.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Attorney's office painted a picture of a seasoned former politician who let greed take the wheel. Assistant U.S. Attorney Amarjeet Bhachu was quoted by The Chicago Tribune saying that Collins had "a hundred thousand reasons" to mislead the IRS.
Allegations of previously undisclosed fireable offenses further complicated Collins’ case. This includes her termination from an insurance company after allegedly crafting sham policies. Collins chose not to testify in her defense, a decision that came after the court allowed limited inquiry into her firing, which occurred shortly after she left the General Assembly.
As the legal process marches towards a June sentencing, the former senator remains convicted on charges that reinforce a narrative of deception unworthy of her former public office and trust. Collins' potential appeal looms on the horizon – her next battleground in a struggle removed from the legislature, playing out now in the courtroom and through the gavel of justice.
