A former property manager in suburban Cook County, Delvya Harris, has been handed a two-year prison term for stealing over $18,000 in rent payments, in addition to fraudulently obtaining more than $41,000 in Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans, as per an announcement by Attorney General Kwame Raoul. Harris, of South Holland, Illinois, entered a guilty plea to a Class 3 felony theft charge and was sentenced by Cook County Circuit Court Judge Laura Ayala-Gonzalez, according to the Attorney General's office.
The 32-year-old was employed by Habitat Company as an assistant community manager at the CHA's Trumbull Park Homes in the South Deering neighborhood, where she took advantage of her position by depositing rent money orders meant for CHA into her account between December 2022 and March 2023, the scheme led her to amass rent payments totaling $18,215 from unsuspecting tenants. Additionally, Harris's fraudulent endeavors extended to falsely claiming ownership of a non-existent retail business to acquire two PPP loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration and an advance on a COVID-19 Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL), bringing her illegitimate gain to just over $41,000 during the pandemic's relief efforts in February and May of 2021.
"I am pleased to see an individual held accountable for taking advantage of tenants and the public by stealing public funds for personal financial gain," Raoul stated. He also affirmed his office's commitment to ensuring justice for taxpayers when individuals exploit government support programs."
This case came to light following an investigation led by the CHA Inspector General’s office, the revelations of which subsequently led to prosecution by Assistant Attorney General Mara Somlo from Raoul’s Public Integrity Bureau; throughout the legal proceedings, the Attorney General's office has underscored the importance of preserving the integrity of public funds and support systems designed to assist individuals and businesses during trying times, and in this case, bringing a conclusive end to Harris's exploitative measures.
