Illinois GOP candidate blames $3,200 unpaid California tax bill on 'paperwork error'

On Wednesday, the Chicago Sun-Timesreported that Jesse Sullivan, a Republican candidate for governor of Illinois, has a nonprofit that owes thousands of dollars in unpaid taxes — but not in Illinois.

"One nonprofit entity created by Republican gubernatorial candidate Jesse Sullivan owes $3,200 to the state of California — plus additional interest and penalties — for failing to file its tax returns for nearly a year, and another of his organizations is currently listed as delinquent in the West Coast state," reported Rachel Hinton. "That nonprofit, called Alter Investments, is one of two created by Sullivan. Alter Global, the other non-profit that was registered as a charity and public benefit entity, has had a delinquent status in California since February 2020, according to the website of that state's attorney general."

Asked for comment, Sullivan blamed the whole thing on a paperwork snafu.

"Jesse Sullivan set up a nonprofit that never began operations," said the Sullivan campaign in a statement. "When notified today that this unused entity had accumulated fees due to a paperwork error, he immediately took steps to address the fee, and is now closing it. As governor, Jesse Sullivan will work to cut red tape and make it easier to start and grow organizations here in Illinois."

Sullivan is hoping to challenge Democratic Gov. J. B. Pritzker, a philanthropist and billionaire who won the office in 2018.

The news comes as former President Donald Trump continues to face political and legal struggles from investigations into his tax practices — many of which were initially reported on in 2020, thanks in part to leaks from his niece Mary Trump. The former president is now suing his niece and The New York Times for the disclosures.