A Cook County commissioner accused of tax fraud is asking for help to pay some of his legal bills.
William Beavers on Monday will host a fundraiser at McDonald's at Navy Pier. The event costs $125 per ticket and features a buffet and open bar, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. Proceeds benefit the Commissioner William Beavers Legal Defense Fund.
When asked if the event meant he was having financial troubles, Beavers told the Sun-Times it's "just a fundraiser."
Beavers last month pleaded not guilty to charges alleging he used thousands of dollars from campaign accounts for personal use. In a brief appearance before Judge James Zagel, the same judge who heard both of former Gov. Rod Blagojevich's federal corruption trials, Beavers denied the charges.
"I do not owe," he told reporters.
Beavers' attorney, Sam Adam Jr. -- who also represented Blagojevich in his first trial and won the acquittal of R&B superstar R. Kelly on child pornography charges -- said the evidence will show that Beavers either repaid all the money to his campaign funds or reported it to the IRS.
Each count against Beavers carries a maximum penalty of three years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000.
The Chicago Sun-Times reports the owner of the Navy Pier McDonald's has given money to Beavers' political campaign.
