Overview
- Federal prosecutors charged Chicago Police Sgt. Brandi Wright with wire fraud for two Paycheck Protection Program loans tied to a bakery that did not exist.
- The PPP was a COVID relief program meant to keep small businesses paying workers, and prosecutors say Wright falsely claimed revenue, payroll, and expenses to obtain two $20,831 loans.
- The filing tracks an earlier Chicago inspector general report that identified nine police cases of fraudulent PPP loans and set off internal discipline reviews.
- Chicago police leaders have tentatively backed firing eight officers and adding them to the city’s do-not-hire list, while a ninth officer resigned during the probe.
- The inspector general also flagged an aldermanic staffer for a $20,833 PPP fraud case and urged firing, as U.S. Attorney Andrew Boutros orders a fresh look at pandemic fraud cases.