Jury convicts Ald. Patrick Daley Thompson of tax crimes and fraudulent statements

Update: Sentencing has been set for July 6.

CHICAGO (AP) — A grandson and nephew of Chicago's two longest-serving mayors was convicted Monday of tax crimes and making false statements.

Patrick Daley Thompson, a member of the city council, must immediately resign under state law.

Thompson was accused of falsely claiming mortgage interest deductions and lying about lines of credit from Washington Federal Bank for Savings.^[1]

The jury's deliberations and verdict followed about three hours of closing arguments.

Thompson's grandfather was Richard J. Daley and his uncle is Richard M. Daley, who each served more than 20 years as mayor of Chicago.

Federal regulators closed Washington Federal in 2017. Investigators said Thompson lied about the extent of his loans to a new lender and said he only owed $110,000, not $269,000.

“When he saw the opportunity to lie, to deceive, to pay less than what he owed, he took it,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Michelle Petersen told the jury.

Defense attorney Chris Gair said there's a big difference between lying and simply making mistakes.

“We all make mistakes,” Gair said. "If it were a federal crime to make a mistake then we’d all be guilty.”

He suggested the government wanted to nail someone named Daley, though prosecutors denied it.

“Nobody targeted this defendant. He did what he did,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian Netols said.

The Chicago Journal needs your support.

At just $20/year, your subscription not only helps us grow, it helps maintain our commitment to independent publishing.

CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE

Notes & References