Chicago campaign consultant sued by Paul Vallas will fight ‘shameful’ lawsuit

The battle is on! Paul Vallas, former Chicago mayoral candidate, is suing his campaign consultant, Chimaobi Enyia, for allegedly defrauding his campaign out of $700,000. Enyia, however, is not taking this lying down. He has called the lawsuit “shameful,” “unfounded,” and “absolutely unfair.”

The lawsuit claims that Enyia failed to deliver on his promise to provide get-out-the-vote efforts, including posting pro-Vallas signage and removing anti-Vallas signage in black communities. Enyia denies these allegations and plans to “vigorously defend” himself against the claims.

PAUL VALLAS SUING CONSULTANT FOR DEFRAUDING $700,000 INTENDED FOR CHICAGO CAMPAIGN SERVICES

The lawsuit states that Enyia cannot account for $680,000 that he received in a series of payments, and Vallas’s campaign is now seeking to receive all the money back. Enyia, who was a staffer for former Gov. Pat Quinn and is the current vice president of a local cannabis company, claims that he provided valuable services to the campaign and deserves payment for his work.

Enyia said in a statement that he had a close relationship with Vallas and was shocked by the lawsuit. “I regarded him as a trusted friend. He trusted me,” Enyia said. “Now after I have provided my help, Vallas wants to claw back my compensation. That is absolutely unfair.”

According to Vallas, Enyia used the runoff election between Vallas and now-Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson to squeeze hundreds of thousands of dollars from Vallas’s campaign. Enyia allegedly threatened that his workers would go to the “other side,” referring to the Johnson campaign, if they did not receive payment “immediately.”

Vallas allegedly did not know of the arrangement between Enyia and campaign manager Brian Towne, which saw Enyia become a strategist for the campaign in March and April. Vallas reviewed the finances himself after Election Day and spotted a $200,000 payment approving Enyia’s company, Ikoro LLC, to place signage in black communities — something Vallas says he was unaware of, according to the lawsuit.

Enyia said in his statement that his consulting work included “policy development, professional networks, personal relationships and field support” and that he fulfilled his obligations to the campaign.

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Enyia plans to defend himself in court and not in the press. He also warned Vallas against repeating any of the accusations outside of the courthouse, threatening to sue him for defamation. “In the end, the voters were right,” Enyia said. “Paul Vallas did not deserve to be the mayor of the City of Chicago.”