Lobbyist Fakes Age to Steal Tax Breaks | Chicago News

Chicago News Today | 2 Min News | The Daily News Now! · Aug 28, 2026 · 1m

A former Cook County employee turned lobbyist, Armando Saleh, pulled off a brazen tax scam by faking his age on his passport to qualify for senior property tax breaks — saving himself over $80,000 across two homes. Despite conflicting records showing he’s 56, not 71, and despite being ordered to repay $100K, his exemptions were renewed last year. This isn’t an isolated case — similar schemes have involved ex-officials and even a mobster’s estate. With no prosecutions since 2018, the assessor’s office is now weighing whether to hand the case over to prosecutors, exposing gaping holes in how…