A former Illinois Toll Highway Authority employee has been handed a sentence of probation after admitting to stealing funds from the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), a relief effort designed to help businesses stay afloat during the COVID-19 pandemic, Attorney General Kwame Raoul announced yesterday.

In a case that highlights the misuse of pandemic aid, 53-year-old Krystal D. Britten of Warrenville was sentenced to two years probation and is required to pay full restitution after pleading guilty to a Class 1 felony for theft of government property by deception, she has already paid $20,829 in restitution, according to Illinois Attorney General's office.

The misuse of such vital aid is particularly egregious coming from a state employee, "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 remarked in a statement made by the Illinois Attorney General's office.

Britten's deceit unfolded when she applied for a PPP loan in May 2021, from the U.S. Small Business Administration claiming she operated a sole proprietorship business, she then had the loan forgiven after submitting false documentation asserting her compliance with the loan's utilization requirements, her actions represent an increasingly common form of fraud that the Attorney General's office is determined to confront with the recent charges against 15 government employees for similar PPP loan defractions, as noted by Raoul's office.