Attorney General Raoul announces sentence, restitution for Illinois Toll Highway Authority employee who stole from Paycheck Protection Program
Chicago – Attorney General Kwame Raoul announced today that a DuPage County woman was sentenced to probation and ordered to pay full restitution for fraudulently collecting more than $20,000 through a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan while employed by the Illinois Toll Highway Authority.
Krystal D. Britten, 53, of Warrenville, Illinois, pleaded guilty to Class 1 felony theft of government property by deception. DuPage County Circuit Court Judge Daniel P. Guerin sentenced Britten to two years of probation and ordered her to repay the loan. She paid $20,829 in restitution at the time of her sentencing.
“COVID-era assistance programs were vital for the survival of millions of unemployed Americans and small businesses. It is unconscionable any individual – especially those employed by state and local government agencies who work on behalf of Illinois taxpayers – would take advantage of these programs for their own financial gain,” Raoul said. “I will continue to ensure all current and former government employees who took advantage of the pandemic to steal from loan programs are held accountable.”
Raoul alleges that Britten applied for and received a PPP loan in May 2021 from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) by falsely claiming that she operated a sole proprietorship business. The SBA later forgave the loan after Britten submitted fraudulent documents claiming she had used the funds in compliance with PPP loan requirements.
Britten’s conviction is the most recent action in Attorney General Raoul’s ongoing efforts to hold individuals accountable for fraudulently collecting government assistance related to the pandemic. In June, Raoul’s office announced charges against 15 government employees for PPP loan fraud.
Deputy Bureau Chief Jonas Harger prosecuted Britten for Raoul’s Public Integrity Bureau.