Attorney General Kwame Raoul has brought charges against a former U.S. Postal Service employee for alleged fraudulent activity involving pandemic relief funds. The Cook County resident, Linda Anthony, 52, of Chicago, is accused of scamming approximately $44,699 via the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan, an Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL), and unemployment benefits while she was already receiving workers' compensation benefits.

The incident, happening amidst the COVID-19 pandemic's peak, Attorney General Raoul's office claims Anthony falsely claimed to own a non-existing business to obtain the relief funds. Drawing from a report by the Illinois Attorney General's Office, she allegedly pocketed a $10,000 EIDL advance in June 2020, followed by a $20,830 PPP loan in April 2021, along with $13,866 in unemployment benefits, all acquired under false pretenses.

These serious allegations have led to multiple felony charges, including theft of governmental property and state benefits fraud, with potential sentences reaching up to 15 years in prison. "It is unacceptable that any government employee would abuse government funding," said Raoul, "especially federal COVID-era assistance that served as a lifeline for many small businesses and unemployed Americans." The sentiment expressed by the Attorney General reflects a determination to maintain the integrity of government aid programs, as he is committed to holding public workers accountable for abusing these critical programs at the expense of the public they are supposed to serve.

Anthony's court proceedings are set for May 19, as the U.S. Postal Service - Office of the Inspector General (OIG), which initially investigated alleged workers’ compensation fraud, referred the case to Raoul's office. Special Agent in Charge Dennus Bishop, stressed the law enforcement commitment in his statement, obtained by the Illinois Attorney General's Office, "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."

While the Attorney General has undertaken several actions to curb the misuse of pandemic relief funds, prosecuting individuals for PPP loan fraud, these charges serve as another step forward in efforts to uphold justice. Assistant Attorneys General Haley Bookhout and Mara Somlo lead the prosecution for Raoul's Public Integrity Bureau. However, it is crucial to remember, as emphasized in the report by the Illinois Attorney General's Office, that the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.