Cook County Assessor Faces Additional Scrutiny for Campaign Contributions

The Cook County Ethics Board is examining contributions made to the county assessor's office, after it was found that he did not return to property tax appeals lawyers contributions that exceeded the $750 legal limit. Joseph Berrios has been under the microscope ever since the Chicago Tribune and ProPublica began investigating discrepancies in property tax assessments. Those contributions by donors seeking official action resulted Joseph Berrios in a total fine of $41,000; every $1,000 fined represents each individual violation (Chicago Tribune).