Chicago – Attorney General Kwame Raoul announced today his office obtained a guilty plea in a case against a suburban Cook County woman who fraudulently applied for and received two Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans and an Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL), totaling approximately $59,998 during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Attorney General’s office prosecuted Takeisha Williams, 46, of Homewood, Illinois, who pleaded guilty to one count of theft, a Class 2 felony. Cook County Circuit Court Judge Mary M. Brosnahan sentenced Williams on Wednesday, ordering her to pay $59,998 in restitution and to complete three years of second chance probation.
“COVID-era assistance programs were vital for the survival of countless small businesses that were upended by the pandemic,” Raoul said. “Unfortunately, bad actors took advantage of these programs for their own financial benefit. I will continue to ensure individuals who exploited pandemic assistance programs to line their own pockets are held accountable.”
Raoul’s office alleged Williams fraudulently applied for and received an EIDL for $10,000 and a $20,832 PPP loan from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) in April 2021 for a catering business that did not exist. Williams applied for and received a second PPP loan for $29,166 in June 2021 for the same non-existent business.
This plea is the most recent action Attorney General Raoul has taken to hold individuals accountable for fraudulently collecting government assistance related to the pandemic. Raoul’s office has prosecuted a number of individuals for PPP loan fraud and referred other investigations to the appropriate state’s attorneys for further evaluation.
Assistant Attorney General Maribeth Ennis prosecuted the case for Raoul’s Special Prosecutions Bureau.
