Cook County Democratic Committeemen selected businessman Stanley Moore Thursday to replace former Cook County Commissioner William Beavers, who was convicted of federal tax evasion charges last month.

Moore has the support of 21st Ward Alderman Howard Brookins, who has the most votes in the process.

Moore has had his share of controversy. He was investigated by the state Ethics Committee for allegedly campaigning on taxpayer money while he worked for the Illinois Department of Transportation. He was running for a state House seat at the time.

Moore denies that he did anything wrong, but he says he did not have enough money to properly refute the allegations.  He just paid a $3,000 fine in connection with the allegations.

Cook County Democratic Committee may choose a successor for former Cook County Commissioner William Beavers Thursday.

Former State Transportation Official Stanley Moore is emerging as the favorite.

Moore was forced to leave his job in 2009, after a state ethics commission determined he did political campaign work on state time.

Commissioner Beavers was convicted of tax evasion last month, and ordered to give up his seat.

He is awaiting sentencing.

Cook County Commissioner William Beavers was convicted of tax evasion today but says he will fight, claiming the judge was unfair and the charges trumped up.

It took a jury less than an hour or two to convict him on all counts.

Records show the 78-year-old outspoken Democrat spent 18 days at casinos in some months.  And between 2006 and 2008 he was taking money from his campaign funds and using it for personal expenses or to gamble.  Beavers’s lawyers told the jury he intended to pay it back.

Prosecutors didn’t believe him and neither did the jury.

In court,  Beavers’s attorney said the defendant  had a problem with gambling but he’s no criminal.

Beavers opted not to testify and said the judge never would have let him tell his story, the one where federal agents wanted him to wear a wiretap to catch fellow commissioner John Daley. When he refused, he claims, they went after him.

Beavers now faces three years and $250,000 fine.  He says he wont resign unless he is forced to.

No sentencing date has been set.

A jury found Cook County Commissioner William Beavers guilty on all four counts in his tax evasion case.

He was convicted on one count of corruptly impeding the Internal Revenue Service and three counts of filing a false federal income tax return for 2006, 2007 and 2008.

Federal prosecutors say Beavers spent $226,000 in campaign funds on personal expenses and never paid taxes on it.

They say Beavers also failed to pay taxes on $69,000 in campaign contributions that he placed in a city retirement fund in 2006, in order to more than double his monthly pension.

The defense argued that Beavers amended his tax returns and paid some of the money back to the campaign, in order to prove that it was a loan.

Beavers had claimed that the FBI is only targeting him because he refused to be a “stool pigeon.”

This is a developing story. Check back for details.

The jury has reached a verdict in William Beavers’ tax evasion trial.

The Cook County commissioner is accused of using campaign money for personal expenses and gambling then failing to report it on his taxes.

Wednesday, the defense rested its case, after calling an accountant to the stand.

The accountant testified the campaign money was a loan, and not subject to taxes.

Beavers did not testify.

He has previously alleged that the FBI only went after him, after he refused to wear a wire for them.

He has pleaded not guilty.

Closing arguments begin tomorrow in the tax evasion trial of Cook County Commissioner William Beavers.
The defense has rested and Beavers did nottake the stand, even though he’d vowed to testify.
The veteran Chicago politician told the judge, he would not testify on the advice of counsel.
His attorneys only put one witness on the stand, an accountant.
Beavers is accused of using campaign cash for gambling and failing to report it on his income tax returns.
He has pleaded not guilty.

Before his tax evasion trial began, defendant William Beavers said he was “itching” to testify.

The question is will he have the guts to do it now that the prosecution has rested its case against the Cook County Commissioner.

On Wednesday, the defense gets a crack at trying to tell the jury why the Chicago democrat with a lot of political juice over the years didn’t squander away hundreds of thousands of his campaign dollars at area casinos.

The defense argues that the monies were loans and not subject to income tax.

The feds say Beavers wrote 100 checks, from his campaign fund, to himself between 2006 and 2008.

Almost every time, IRS agent Paul Ponzo said, those checks coincided with losing visits to the Horseshoe Casino in Hammond, Indiana.

Prosecutors tried to show the jury how invoices had been changed and check stubs altered to cover up the cooked books courtesy of Beavers himself.

The total loss during that two year period: $477,000.

Federal prosecutors accuse Beavers of using his campaign money for personal use or to feed his gambling habit and never paying tax on the income.

Before the trial, Beavers accused the FBI of going after him only after he refused to wear a wire for their investigation of another commissioner.

If Beavers testifies and gets convicted, he could be looking at a stiffer punishment.

If a judge determines he lied on the stand, it could be used as a factor to increase his sentence.

The defense is expected to only take a day, meaning the jury could get the case sometime in the afternoon.

Cook County Commissioner William Beavers arrives at the Dirksen Federal Building for court Wednesday. (WGN-TV)

Before his tax evasion trial began, defendant William Beavers said he was “itching” to testify. The question is will he have the guts to do it now that the prosecution has rested its case against the Cook County Commissioner.

Tomorrow, the defense gets a crack at trying to tell the jury why the Chicago democrat with a lot of political juice over the years didn’t squander away hundreds of thousands of his campaign dollars at area casinos. The defense will do everything they can to show Beavers tried to pay it back.

78-year-old William Beavers is known to be outspoken on most any topic over the years but has been rendered speechless during his own trial thanks to Judge James Zagel and the gag order placed on the case.

The feds say the high roller with VIP status at the Horseshoe Casino in Hammond, Indiana wrote 100 checks to himself between 2006 and 2008. Almost every time, IRS agent Paul Ponzo said, those checks coincided with losing visits to the casino floor. Prosecutors tried to show the jury how invoices had been changed and check stubs altered to cover up the cooked books courtesy of Beavers himself.

The total loss during that two year period: $477,000. Federal prosecutors accuse Beavers of using his campaign money for personal use or to feed his gambling habit and never paying tax on the income. It’s a tax evasion case laid out carefully by an IRS agent over the past two days.

Only Beavers can make it unravel. The question is will he do it?

Taking the stand in a trial like this is always considered a risk for any defendant. If Beavers testifies and is later found guilty by a jury, it could mean more trouble down the road, specifically, in the sentencing phase. If a judge determines he lied on the stand, it could be used as a factor to increase his sentence.  It also opens up Beavers to impeachment.  It’s a legal term giving prosecutors an additional opportunity to prove the defendant is not telling the court the truth.