Chicago Police Sergeant Charged in Federal Court With Fraudulently Obtaining Covid-Relief Loans

CHICAGO - A Chicago Police sergeant has been charged in federal court with fraudulently obtaining more than $41,000 in small business loans under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security ("CARES") Act. Under the leadership of U.S. Attorney Andrew S. Boutros and consistent with the Administration's priorities to identify, investigate, and prosecute criminal fraud in the federal government entitlement and benefit programs, the United States Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Illinois is taking a fresh look at Covid-19 fraud. This prosecution reflects those efforts.

BRANDI WRIGHT engaged in fraud related to the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), one of the sources of relief under the CARES Act, according to a criminal information filed Monday in U.S. District Court in Chicago. The information alleges that Wright submitted two applications for PPP loans in 2021 on behalf of a bakery business she claimed to own but that did not actually exist. The applications contained materially false statements and misrepresentations about Wright's purported business, including gross revenue, payroll needs, and operational expenses, the information states.

Wright fraudulently obtained two loans totaling $41,662, which she intended to use for her personal benefit, the information states.

Wright, 44, is a Chicago Police sergeant who resides in Chicago. The information charges her with wire fraud, which is punishable by up to 20 years in federal prison. Arraignment in federal court has not yet been scheduled.

U.S. Attorney Boutros announced the charge along with Douglas S. DePodesta, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI, and Adam Jobes, Special Agent-in-Charge of IRS Criminal Investigation in Chicago. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Richard M. Rothblatt and Sheri Mecklenburg.

The public is reminded that an information contains only charges and is not evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.