Thirty-two area residents face federal charges of fraudulently obtaining thousands of dollars each in unemployment benefits from the state of Illinois.
Those charged either falsely claimed to be unemployed or underreported their income to collect more, according to federal indictments announced Wednesday. Defendants fraudulently received between $19,399 and $38,798 each.
The total loss for the Illinois Department of Employment Security came to nearly $874,000, the U.S. Attorney's office alleged in the separate indictments. Of the defendants, 27 face felony charges of theft of federal funds; and five face misdemeanor fraud charges.
The investigation concluded Jan. 22 and involved the U.S. Attorney's office, U.S. Department of Labor and U.S. Postal Service.
In each case, restitution is mandatory; the felony charges carry a maximum of 10 years in prison and $250,000 fine, while the misdemeanors carry a maximum of a year in prison and $100,000 fine.
Thursday, May 16 2013 9:49 PM EDT2013-05-17 01:49:53 GMT
Mayor Emanuel will celebrate two years in office by unveiling "Elevate Chicago" on Thursday, a series of construction projects to improve Navy Pier and McCormick Place.
Mayor Emanuel will celebrate two years in office by unveiling "Elevate Chicago" on Thursday, a series of construction projects to improve Navy Pier and McCormick Place.
Friday, May 17 2013 10:37 PM EDT2013-05-18 02:37:06 GMT
On Friday, the current Chicago Teacher's Union President Karen Lewis announced that she has been re-elected and says she won with 80 percent of the vote.
On Friday, the current Chicago Teacher's Union President Karen Lewis announced that she has been re-elected and says she won with 80 percent of the vote.
