Councilman Pleads Guilty to $82,000 Tax Fraud. He Has No Plans to Quit.
The New York Times
Chaim Deutsch, a city councilman from Brooklyn, falsely deducted business expenses, according to federal prosecutors.
Federal prosecutors in Manhattan announced on Thursday that a New York City councilman had pleaded guilty to federal tax evasion for failing to pay $82,000 in taxes and deducting fraudulent business expenses related to his real estate management company. The councilman, Chaim Deutsch, a Democrat of Brooklyn, could face up to a year in prison. But there’s one thing Mr. Deutsch may not have to worry about: getting kicked out of his job. Under the public officers law, a Council member faces automatic expulsion if they plead guilty to a felony or a crime related to their elected role. But City Council officials said that because Mr. Deutsch pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor, he would probably be allowed under the law to serve out the remainder of his term, which expires this year.
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