Cook County Inspector General concluded that about $331,000 in property tax refunds and savings on a Gold Coast home owned by JB Pritzker rested on sworn affidavits containing false representations; Pritzker's campaign said he repaid about $330,000, 2018

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In a Sept. 28, 2018 report, Cook County Inspector General Patrick Blanchard concluded that the assessor's office received sworn affidavits containing false representations that a Gold Coast mansion owned by JB Pritzker was vacant and uninhabitable, and that the county "fell victim to a scheme to defraud" that produced refunds of $132,747.18 for 2012 to 2014 and additional tax savings of $198,684.85 for 2015 and 2016. The report cited a work order saying that M.K. Pritzker, JB Pritzker's wife, wanted the toilets pulled so the house would be reassessed as uninhabitable; the two affidavits were signed by other people, a relative and M.K. Pritzker's assistant, and press accounts of the confidential report do not describe a finding that JB Pritzker personally signed them. The inspector general recommended the county try to recover the money and found no credible evidence that Pritzker's relationship with then-Assessor Joseph Berrios influenced the outcome. Pritzker, then a candidate for governor, said "We followed the rules" and called the report "politically leaked" and "without new information"; his spokeswoman said a check for about $330,000 was mailed to the Cook County Treasurer's office the week before her statement. His campaign told the Sun-Times that counsel led the reassessment and drafted the affidavits, which were signed by 'knowledgeable individuals.' The Cook County State's Attorney's office said in October 2018 that the matter was "in the hands of our special prosecutions unit" (WBEZ), and WBEZ reported in April 2019, citing a law enforcement source, that federal authorities were investigating; Pritzker, by then governor, said he had "no concerns at all." The sources reviewed report no criminal charge, finding of personal wrongdoing by Pritzker, or penalty beyond the repayment.

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