In a comprehensive effort to combat fraudulent activities in Chicago, a 25-year-old Chicago woman is facing a slew of charges for allegedly pocketing roughly $75,000 in pandemic relief and unemployment benefits, Attorney General Kwame Raoul's office uncovered following a thorough probe by his Task Force on Unemployment Insurance Benefits Fraud, according to the Illinois Attorney General's website.
Briana F. Jackson is currently in a legal bind as she faces multiple charges in Cook County Circuit Court. Among these charges is a Class 1 felony for theft, which could result in her being imprisoned for up to 15 years. She is also facing five counts of theft, one count of loan fraud, three counts of wire fraud, eight counts of forgery, and a count of state benefits fraud, as per court documents. Her next court date is set for January 19, 2024.
"Millions of Americans across the country were forced to rely on unemployment and federal loan assistance during the height of the pandemic," said Raoul, whose task force has been vigilantly policing the misuse of relief funds, stressing the importance of holding those to account who took advantage of these programs designed to be a lifeline, not a slush fund.
As per Raoul's hammer-drop, Jackson's got some explaining to do for the $40,000 in Paycheck Protection Program loans she bagged after allegedly filing fake applications for the gravy train, and on top of that, she reportedly snagged a cool $35,000 in unemployment benefits from the Land of Lincoln, which, according to the top prosecutor, she had zero rights to. Special Agent-in-Charge Robert W. "Wes" Wheeler, Jr., from the FBI's Chicago office, added, "These charges show that we will continue to work with our local, state, and federal partners to ensure that public funds are used to improve our neighborhoods."
The Attorney General's office reminds the public that Jackson is still presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law, which is a cornerstone of the American legal system, while Supervising Attorney Megan McGuire Bachman leads the prosecution of the case on behalf of Raoul's Criminal Prosecutions and Trial Assistance Bureau.
