Taken by Taxes
A joint investigation by Injustice Watch and the Investigative Project on Race and Equity found thousands of Cook County seniors who have lost their homes to property tax foreclosure in recent years despite a U.S. Supreme Court ruling barring the practice.
Explore the project
Part 1
Illinois is the last state to unlawfully strip wealth from homeowners caught in tax foreclosure
The U.S. Supreme Court recently ruled unconstitutional a decades-old practice of taking every cent of people’s home equity over unpaid property taxes. Experts say Illinois lags behind the nation by continuing the racist policy mostly impacting Black communities.
Part 2
Cook County allows tax foreclosures by municipalities. Poor oversight led to misuse by local officials.
Officials were able to use the county’s revitalization program for personal and political gain, neglected seized properties, and stripped homeowners of equity they had built up in their properties.
Part 3
The King of Liens
Real estate investor Greg Bingham made a fortune taking Cook County homes through tax foreclosure. Along the way, he has been dogged by allegations of fraud, according to court records and a previously undisclosed probe by the Treasurer’s office.
A project with impact
Our reporting led state legislators to postpone the Cook County property tax sale and to consider broader reforms to the tax foreclosure process in Illinois.
More from Taken By Taxes
Property-tax foreclosure reform gets put off by Illinois legislators
Lawmakers said they again will consider the issue later this year. Meanwhile, Cook County will postpone its 2025 tax sale because of concerns over homeowners who fall behind on property taxes losing their homes and equity.
Project Contributors
Reporting by Carlos Ballesteros and Emeline Posner
Contributing reporting by Tatiana Walk-Morris, Maia McDonald and Kristen Axtman
Editing by Robin Amer, Angela Caputo, Rui Kaneya, David Kidwell, and Jonah Newman
Illustrations by Veronica Martinez
Photos by Taylor Glascock
Engagement by Ismael Perez and Maggie Sivit