Former Chicago attorney Michael Abramson has been sentenced to two and a half years in federal prison for his role in a sordid scheme of tax fraud and witness tampering. The 76-year-old, once a respected legal figure in Illinois, now faces the harsh reality of his deception.
Abramson, who was indicted for providing over $1 million in personal expenses to a woman through fraudulent means, deducted these payments from his taxes by falsely labeling them as commissions or loans. His deceit extended to inflating corporate tax returns with false assets related to luxury goods and services.
But the legal troubles didn’t end there. The court had specifically ordered Abramson to avoid any contact with witnesses, including his own bookkeeper, who was set to be a key government witness. Yet, weeks before trial, Abramson delivered doctored testimony to the bookkeeper, attempting to manipulate her answers.
Despite warnings not to bring the notes to law enforcement, the bookkeeper turned them over, leading to Abramson’s conviction on 15 charges of tax fraud, witness tampering, and violation of a court order. Last week, U.S. District Judge Manish S. Shah imposed a sentence of 30 months in federal prison and a fine of $25,000.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Richard M. Rothblatt and Edward A. Liva Jr. highlighted the defendant’s knowledge of legal and financial matters as evidence of his deliberate intent to deceive and profit. “Defendant knew better,” they argued, “yet sought to conceal and profit from personal payments to his mistress.”
The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, Andrew S. Boutros, along with Jason Bushey of IRS Criminal Investigation and Douglas S. DePodesta of the FBI’s Chicago Field Office. Abramson’s fall from grace serves as a stark reminder of the consequences of white-collar crime.
RELATED: Ex-Chicago Lawyer Faces 2.5 Years for Fraud, Witness Tampering
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Key Facts
- State: Illinois
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes|Public Corruption|White Collar Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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