Attorney General Kwame Raoul announced a guilty plea in a case involving fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans. Lakeitha Day, a former employee of the Illinois Department of Human Services, admitted to fraudulently obtaining two PPP loans totaling approximately $41,600. The Cook County Circuit Court ordered her to pay over $46,800 in restitution and sentenced her to two years of second chance probation.
"It is inexcusable anyone – especially a public employee – would fraudulently seek to line their own pockets using Paycheck Protection Loans that were a lifeline for many small businesses during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic," Raoul stated. "I will continue to ensure all current and former government employees who took advantage of the pandemic to steal from critical assistance programs are held accountable."
The Attorney General's office revealed that Day applied for and received two PPP loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) in April 2021 for a non-existent business. Both loans were forgiven after she completed loan forgiveness applications.
This case is part of Attorney General Raoul's ongoing efforts to address fraudulent collection of government assistance related to the pandemic. His office has prosecuted numerous individuals for PPP loan fraud and referred other cases for further investigation.
Assistant Attorney General Renee Thibault handled the prosecution within Raoul’s Special Prosecutions Bureau.