Three men from the Chicago area have been indicted by a federal grand jury for allegedly participating in a scheme to open credit cards using the identities of recently deceased individuals. The indictment, returned in the Northern District of Illinois, names Roosevelt Garrett and his brother Torience Garrett, both from suburban Chicago, along with Franklin Simmons.
According to the indictment, Roosevelt and Torience Garrett worked with Franklin Simmons to obtain credit cards using personal information belonging to people who had recently died, including two former Illinois residents. The defendants then used these cards for personal purchases and did not repay the credit card companies. The indictment further alleges that they charged these cards to business entities under their control, which allowed them to convert proceeds from the fraudulent activity into cash.
The document also states that Roosevelt and Torience Garrett submitted fraudulent applications for Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act in June 2020. These applications allegedly included false statements about employee numbers and gross revenues for businesses they claimed to own. The funds received were reportedly used for personal withdrawals and transfers rather than business operations.
Tax-related charges against the Garretts involve misstating employee numbers and wages on corporate tax returns for their purported businesses. Additionally, Simmons is accused of underreporting income from an entity he controlled that was involved in the alleged credit card fraud.
Roosevelt Garrett, 57, of Itasca, Illinois, faces four counts of wire fraud, three counts of mail fraud, four counts of filing false corporate tax returns, and one count of failing to file an individual tax return. Torience Garrett, 53, of Bolingbrook, Illinois, is charged with four counts of wire fraud, three counts of mail fraud, four counts of filing false corporate tax returns, and one count of money laundering. Franklin Simmons, 64, of Chicago is charged with three counts each of wire fraud and mail fraud as well as two counts of filing a false individual tax return.
All three defendants pleaded not guilty during their arraignment in federal court in Chicago. A status hearing is set for October 22, 2025 before U.S. District Judge Sharon Johnson Coleman.
United States Attorney Andrew S. Boutros announced the indictment alongside Adam Jobes, Special Agent-in-Charge at IRS Criminal Investigation in Chicago. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service in Chicago provided substantial assistance during the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Maione 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.”
Anyone with information about attempted Covid-19 related fraud can report it through the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline at 866-720-5721 or online at https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
