A Chicago attorney, Michael Abramson, has been convicted by a federal jury of tax fraud, witness tampering, and violating a court order. The verdict was reached after a week-long trial in federal court in Chicago. Abramson, 75, who resides in Wilmette, Illinois, was found guilty on all 15 charges against him. U.S. District Judge Manish S. Shah has scheduled the sentencing for May 1, 2024.
The case involved false tax filings made by Abramson for himself and a company he partly owned—Illinois-based Leasing Employment Services Co., Inc. Evidence presented during the trial showed that Abramson misused over $1 million on personal expenses for a woman he was romantically involved with. He falsely claimed these as commissions or loans and included them as assets on the company's tax returns. The purported loans covered expenses such as payments related to a condo in Chicago’s Gold Coast neighborhood, luxury cars, and various other personal expenditures.
Following his indictment, Abramson was ordered by the Court not to contact any witnesses. Despite this order, weeks before the trial initially set for February 5, 2024, he provided his bookkeeper—a key witness—with her previous testimony marked with his handwritten notes suggesting alterations to her answers and instructed her to review it prior to testifying.
The convictions were announced by Morris Pasqual, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Ramsey E. Covington, Acting Special Agent-in-Charge of the IRS Criminal Investigation Chicago Field Office; and Douglas S. DePodesta from the FBI's Chicago Field Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Richard M. Rothblatt and Edward A. Liva Jr represented the government in this case.