Six current, former U.S. Postal employees accused of collecting fraudulent unemployment benefits, business loans

CHICAGO (CBS) — Six present-day and former U.S. Postal Provider staff have been billed with fraudulently getting loans for enterprises that did not truly exist.

The 6 defendants had been charged as component of an investigation by the Illinois Legal professional General’s Taskforce on Unemployment Gains Coverage Fraud. They all applied for a assortment of governing administration loans and help for the duration of the top of the COVID-19 pandemic, in accordance to the Lawyer General’s place of work.

In addition to making an attempt to get loans from the Tiny Enterprise Administration for corporations that had been not true, four of the defendants are accused of submitting for fraudulent unemployment rewards although they have been genuinely performing for the Postal Support all together.

The defendants are:

• Davonte Kendall, 30, of Lansing
• Bria Taylor, 27, of Berwyn
• Imani Butler, 29, of Dixmoor
• Raven Daniel, 28, of Bellwood
• Louis K. Lay, Jr., 32, of Chicago
• Erica M. Beck, 34, of Chicago.

Concerning them, the 6 defendants are billed with additional than 65 felony counts – which includes theft by deception, condition gains fraud, financial loan fraud, wire fraud, and forgery.

Lay and Beck – who are married to each and every other and equally however get the job done for the Postal Provider – are also charged with scheming to steal $25,000 in financial affect payments from citizens in the South Shore neighborhood.

The Lawyer General’s office environment began investigating when the Postal Service’s Workplace of the Inspector Common reported that some employees were being accumulating unemployment although performing and having paid out by the Postal Company. A joint federal and condition investigation adopted.