A federal grand jury in Chicago has indicted four people on charges of fraudulently obtaining millions of dollars through small business loan programs established under the CARES Act.
According to an indictment unsealed this week in the Northern District of Illinois, Dexter M. Crawford, Jr., Timika Royston, Orlando Patrick, and Jeremie Miller are accused of engaging in schemes involving the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and Economic Injury Disaster Loan program (EIDL). These programs were created to provide financial relief during the Covid-19 pandemic. The indictment alleges that between 2020 and 2022, the defendants submitted numerous fraudulent applications for PPP loans and EIDL funds, making false statements about company details such as employee numbers, payroll figures, revenue amounts, and other expenses.
Crawford, age 41 from Woodridge, Illinois, faces seven counts of wire fraud and three counts of money laundering. Royston, 49 from Chicago, is charged with three counts of wire fraud. Patrick, 54 also from Chicago, faces two counts of wire fraud. Miller, 42 from Plainfield, Illinois is charged with one count each of wire fraud and money laundering. Each wire fraud charge carries a potential sentence of up to 30 years in federal prison; each money laundering charge could result in up to ten years.
Royston and Miller have entered not guilty pleas. Arraignment for Patrick is scheduled for August 28, 2025; a date for Crawford’s arraignment has not yet been set.
The case was announced by Andrew S. Boutros, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Ramsey E. Covington, Special Agent-in-Charge at IRS Criminal Investigation in Chicago; with assistance from the SBA Office of Inspector General. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Snell represents the government.
“The public is reminded that an indictment contains only charges and is not evidence of guilt. The defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.”
Individuals with information about attempted Covid-19 related fraud are encouraged to report it by calling the National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline at 866-720-5721 or filing a complaint online at https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
