Three men from the Chicago area are now facing charges in a federal court for an alleged scheme to defraud credit card companies by using the identities of deceased individuals, a statement from the U.S. Attorney's Office in the Northern District of Illinois said. Brothers Roosevelt Garrett, 57, of Itasca, and Torience Garrett, 53, of Bolingbrook, along with Franklin Simmons, 64, of Chicago, are accused of having devised a plan to also wrongly claim small business loans under the CARES Act and take advantage of tax credits fraudulently.
According to the indictment, the Garretts and Simmons were also involved in a conspiracy to attain credit cards by making false claims on behalf of others who are no longer with us. They purportedly used the personal information of these individuals to make personal purchases and then failed to repay the debts incurred. Their tactics extended to charging these cards to business entities they controlled, converting the fraud proceeds to cash. Additionally, under the cloak of economic distress wrought by the pandemic, the Garretts are alleged to have sought and misused funds from the EIDL program.
The elaborate indictment includes multiple counts of wire and mail fraud, with the Garretts also facing charges for filing false corporate tax returns and engaging in money laundering activities. Specifically, Roosevelt Garrett is grappling with four counts of wire fraud, three counts of mail fraud, four counts of filing false corporate tax returns, and one count of failing to file an individual tax return. His brother faces similar charges, complemented by a single count of money laundering. Meanwhile, Simmons is charged with three counts of wire fraud, three counts of mail fraud, and two counts of filing a false individual tax return.
After being arraigned in Chicago, the defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges against them. A status hearing is eagerly awaited on Oct. 22, 2025, before U.S. District Judge Sharon Johnson Coleman. United States Attorney Andrew S. Boutros and IRS Special Agent-in-Charge Adam Jobes were behind the announcement of the indictment, with substantial aid from the U.S. Postal Inspection Service in Chicago. The case is now in the hands of Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Maione.
The complexity of the case underscores the broader implications of fraud in the wake of crisis and economic recovery efforts. The public is reminded that the indictment is not an indication of guilt, and the accused is entitled to a presumption of innocence. To underscore this point, anyone with information about an attempted fraud involving COVID-19, especially, is encouraged to report it to the Department of Justice. Concerned citizens can call the National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline at 866-720-5721 or submit a complaint online at the provided Justice Department website.
