Date: Feb. 13, 2024 Contact: newsroom@ci.irs.gov CHICAGO — A Chicago consultant has been convicted on federal tax offenses for underreporting and failing to file federal income taxes. The jury in U.S. District Court in Chicago convicted Annazette Collins of Chicago, on four tax counts, including two counts of willfully filing a false individual income tax return, one count of willfully failing to file a corporate income tax return, and one count of willfully failing to file an individual income tax return. The jury acquitted Collins on two other tax counts. U.S. District Judge Jorge L. Alonso set sentencing for June 21, 2024. Each felony count of filing a false individual income tax return is punishable by up to three years in federal prison. The misdemeanor counts of willfully failing to file individual or corporate income tax returns each carry a maximum sentence of one year in federal prison. Evidence presented at trial revealed that Collins willfully filed a false individual tax return for the calendar years 2014 and 2015, and willfully failed to file an individual income tax return for the calendar year 2016. Collins also willfully failed to file a corporate income tax return for the calendar year 2016 on behalf of her consulting and lobbying business, Chicago-based Kourtnie Nicole Corp. Prior to operating her consulting business, Collins served in the Illinois General Assembly as a Representative and Senator. The conduct for which Collins was convicted resulted in a federal tax loss of approximately $86,000. The conviction was announced by Morris Pasqual, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, Justin Campbell, Special Agent-in-Charge of the IRS Criminal Investigation (CI) in Chicago, and Robert W. “Wes” Wheeler, Jr., Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michelle Parthum and Amarjeet S. Bhachu. CI is the criminal investigative arm of the IRS, responsible for conducting financial crime investigations, including tax fraud, narcotics trafficking, money-laundering, public corruption, healthcare fraud, identity theft and more. CI special agents are the only federal law enforcement agents with investigative jurisdiction over violations of the Internal Revenue Code, obtaining a more than a 90 percent federal conviction rate. The agency has 20 field offices located across the U.S. and 12 attaché posts abroad.
