Embattled Chicago alderman and her kids’ troubled finances: a trail of bankruptcies

The Chicago Sun-Times reports:

Ald. Carrie Austin and her six children and stepchildren have declared bankruptcy 14 times, often while they were holding down government jobs, largely at City Hall, records examined by the Chicago Sun-Times show.

The bankruptcy petitions filed by Austin — the longtime 34th Ward alderman who’s come under scrutiny by a federal grand jury — and by her family over the past two decades have sought to get them out from under debts including federal taxes, court fees, highway tolls and city of Chicago parking fines.

One daughter has filed for bankruptcy court protection five times. One of her sons has four cases.

An example of the family’s troubled finances: Records show City Hall once sued one of Austin’s daughters and a son-in-law for bouncing a check to pay for city stickers.

Austin’s finances have been in the spotlight since June, after she was named in a federal grand jury subpoena seeking records regarding her latest home purchase and her campaign contributions, and FBI agents lugged out files and equipment from her Far South Side Ward office.

The subpoena also sought “items related to . . . employees, family members.”

For Austin, there’s a lot of overlap there.

Mistakes were made.