(The Center Square) – An Illinois woman is set to face charges Thursday after federal prosecutors indicted her on fraud charges related to more than $440,000 she received through federal aid programs. the government and the state.
Prosecutors say he used the proceeds to buy luxury items, such as red leather Gucci dog collars and a boat.
Prosecutors say Kimberly Ray-Duncan, 54, of South Holland, defrauded the Wage Protection Program, the Emergency Relief Program and the Illinois Back to Business Grant Program. In the indictment, prosecutors said he spent a lot of money on a 2018 Regal 35 Sport Coupe yacht he named “Chrysanthemum.”
He put $31,000 down on the boat in early May 2021 in Bolingbrook and later made a $254,000 payment toward the boat, according to court records. The boat has sleeping quarters for six people.
In addition to the boat, lawyers are trying to get back purses from Prada, Gucci and Saint Laurent; red leather dog collar by Gucci; Burberry, Gucci, Giorgio Armani and Prada sunglasses; and MCM, Louis Vuitton, Saint Laurent, Gucci and Prada scarves, according to court records.
Ray-Duncan has six counts of wire fraud, three counts of money laundering and two counts of money laundering involving criminal property, according to the law. charges.
Prosecutors say he applied for loans through a series of companies, some of which did not exist. He also lied about the company’s number of employees, revenues, expenses and salaries. Prosecutors say he sent false bank statements, tax returns and other documents to a company to obtain federal and state loans.
Ray-Duncan’s sentencing is scheduled for Thursday at 1 p.m.
Ray-Duncan’s attorney, Joan Arthetta Hill-McClain, declined to comment on the case, but Ray-Duncan said he wants to settle.
“My client wants to be treated like any other American citizen under our laws and allowed the same opportunities and rights that the Founding Fathers gave to citizens and not chatterbox,” Hill-McClain said in an email to Center Square. “He’s an American citizen who just wants to do right. I’m sure you’ve heard Maya Angelou’s ‘I Know Why the Right Bird Sings.’ Although the book is a historical novel, the title stems from the history of African Americans in our education, finances, and justice system.
Under the CARES Act, the Paycheck Protection Program loan allows interest and principal to be forgiven if businesses spend a certain amount of income on expenses, such as wages and rent.
The COVID-19 Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program provides loan assistance or assistance to pay for working capital and other expenses. Under the Illinois Department of Business and Economic Development’s Grant Program, small businesses can apply for assistance to cover losses due to economic disruptions related to the COVID-19 pandemic.