CHICAGO — Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul announced criminal charges today against a Chicago woman accused of fraudulently obtaining federal pandemic relief funds while employed by the U.S. Postal Service and simultaneously receiving workers’ compensation and unemployment benefits.
Linda Anthony, 52, of Cook County, allegedly received approximately $44,699 in Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans, an Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL), and unemployment benefits during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, all while working for the U.S. Postal Service and claiming workers’ compensation.
Raoul’s office charged Anthony with a total of 11 felony counts, including:
- Theft of government property (Class 1 felony, up to 15 years in prison),
- Multiple counts of theft by deception, loan fraud, and benefits fraud (Class 2 and 3 felonies, up to 7 and 5 years, respectively),
- Income tax fraud (Class 4 felony, up to 3 years).
Sentences, if imposed, will be served concurrently, pending a court determination. Anthony’s next court appearance is scheduled for May 19, 2025.
“It is unacceptable that any government employee would abuse government funding, especially federal COVID-era assistance that served as a lifeline for many small businesses and unemployed Americans,” said Attorney General Raoul. “I am committed to holding public workers accountable for abusing these critical programs at the expense of the public they are supposed to serve.”
According to Raoul’s office, Anthony fraudulently claimed to own a non-existent business in order to apply for pandemic-related financial assistance. She received a $10,000 EIDL advance in June 2020 and a $20,830 PPP loan in April 2021, despite being employed by the Postal Service. During this same period, she also collected $13,866 in unemployment benefits.
The case was referred to Raoul’s office by the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General (OIG), which had been investigating Anthony for suspected workers’ compensation fraud.
“The USPS OIG, along with our law enforcement partners, remain committed to ensuring the accountability and integrity of Postal Service employees and stopping those who perpetrate fraud schemes,” said Dennus Bishop, Special Agent in Charge of the USPS OIG Central Area Field Office.
This prosecution is part of a broader initiative by Raoul’s office to pursue individuals who abused federal COVID-19 relief programs. His office has already prosecuted several fraud cases related to the PPP and referred additional investigations to state’s attorneys for further review.
The public is reminded that all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
