IRS Says Blagojevich Spent $10,000 a Day on Suits

An Internal Revenue Service agent testifying in the trial of former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich said he and his wife Patti spent over $400,000 on clothing in a six-year period.

Revenue agent Shari Schindler testified that sum included $205,000 for Tom James/Oxxford custom-tailored clothes. Among the items purchased by Blagojevich was a $179.85 basket-weave necktie at Saks Fifth Avenue.

Other favored retailers included Neiman Marcus and Geneva Custom Shirts. The disgraced former governor, who was arrested in December 2008, allegedly spent $2,590 on shirts at one high-end shop, and $1,300 on ties during another one-day shopping spree. On several occasions, Schindler testified, Blagojevich spent over $10,000 a day on suits.

Schindler also noted that a decline in Patti Blagojevich’s earnings had contributed to a drop in the couple’s combined income, leaving them hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt, according to the Associated Press. The debt could help explain why Blagojevich was caught on a Justice Department wiretap speculating on how he could profit from appointing a successor to Barack Obama in the U.S. Senate after the 2008 Presidential election.

Blagojevich has pleaded not guilty to racketeering, conspiracy and fraud charges. He faces up to 415 years in prison and $6 million in fines. He lost earlier this year in a bid to become Donald Trump’s Celebrity Apprentice.

For reprint and licensing requests for this article, click here.
MORE FROM ACCOUNTING TODAY