IRS agent: Beavers gambled at frantic pace

CHICAGO (AP) — An IRS agent has testified at a Cook County commissioner's tax-evasion trial that the Chicago Democrat sometimes cashed campaign-fund checks and gambled the money away at a frantic pace.

The agent told jurors Monday that William Beavers cashed three $2,000 checks just a couple hours apart on April 9, 2007, while losing the money on slot machines at Indiana's Horseshoe Casino.

Paul Ponzo said that out of 100 checks Beavers wrote to himself from his campaign over years, 93 were cashed the day before, the day of or the day after he'd been gambling.

Beavers pleaded not guilty to diverting around $225,000 for personal use on gambling, then not reporting it as income.

Prosecutors entered casino records earlier showing Beavers lost $500,000 between 2006 and 2008 playing slot machines.