Chicago – Attorney General Kwame Raoul has filed charges against a Cook County resident, accusing her of fraudulent activities concerning government pandemic relief programs. Linda Anthony, aged 52 from Chicago, is under scrutiny for allegedly fraudulently acquiring funds through a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan, an Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL), and unemployment benefits amounting to approximately $44,699 during her tenure as a U.S. Postal Service employee. This is in conjunction with her receipt of workers' compensation benefits amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.
Raoul's office has filed multiple charges against Anthony, including theft of governmental property, loan fraud, state benefits fraud, and income tax fraud, with potential sentences ranging from three to fifteen years in prison. The sentences, should there be a conviction, are expected to be served concurrently. Anthony is scheduled to appear in court on May 19.
"It is unacceptable that any government employee would abuse government funding, especially federal COVID-era assistance that served as a lifeline for many small businesses and unemployed Americans," noted Attorney General Raoul. "I am committed to holding public workers accountable for abusing these critical programs at the expense of the public they are supposed to serve."
The Attorney General's office has alleged Anthony misrepresented owning a non-existent business to secure a PPP loan from the U.S. Small Business Administration. Additionally, she reportedly received a $10,000 EIDL advance in June 2020 and a $20,830 PPP loan in April 2021, alongside $13,866 in unemployment benefits. This case is based on a referral from the U.S. Postal Service - Office of the Inspector General (OIG), which was initially investigating potential workers' compensation fraud.
Dennus Bishop, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General, Central Area Field Office, stated, "The USPS OIG, along with our law enforcement partners, remain committed to ensuring the accountability and integrity of Postal Service employees and stopping those who perpetrate fraud schemes."
This indictment is the latest in a series of actions by the Attorney General to crack down on pandemic-related fraud. Raoul’s office has actively pursued several prosecutions for PPP loan fraud and has also referred other investigations to state attorneys for further assessment.
The legal proceedings will adhere to the presumption of innocence until proven otherwise in court.
Assistant Attorneys General Haley Bookhout and Mara Somlo are leading the prosecution efforts within Raoul’s Public Integrity Bureau.