Illinois Quick Hits: Chicago police sergeant charged with COVID relief fraud

Illinois Quick Hits: Chicago police sergeant charged with COVID relief fraud

May 6, 2026/
Spread the love

By Jim Talamonti | The Center Square
The Center Square

(The Center Square) – A Chicago police sergeant has been charged with fraudulently obtaining more than $41,000 in small business loans under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act.

U.S. government attorneys say Brandi Wright, 44, applied for Paycheck Protection Program loans in 2021 on behalf of a bakery business she claimed to own but did not exist.

CWB: CTA HAMMER SUSPECT ARRESTED AFTER ALLEGED THREATS

A man who went viral in March when video circulated of him boarding a Chicago Transit Authority train and threatening people while wielding two hammers was detained last month after he allegedly threatened to kill a Cook County sheriff’s police officer on a train.

CWB Chicago reports that Eric Vinson, 51, of Bartlett, has been arrested at least 49 times since 2015, including twice since the video gained millions of views.

Vinson is charged with threatening a public official for the incident reported on April 19.

LEE COUNTY MAN ARRESTED FOR CHILD PORN DISSEMINATION

A Lee County man has been arrested for dissemination of child pornography. Illinois State Police say they began investigating after they received a cyber tip in January 2026.

ISP special agents arrested Cameron J. Riley, 37, of Amboy, Illinois on Tuesday.

Anonymous tips of child sexual abuse materials can be reported through the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children’s CyberTip line.

ILLINOIS PRODUCT FARMERS MARKET OPENS ON THURSDAY

The Illinois Product Farmers Market is scheduled to open for its 19th season Thursday from 3:30 to 7:00 p.m. at The Shed on the Illinois State Fairgrounds.

The Illinois Department of Agriculture says it will match every dollar spent in Link cash assistance and food benefit cards at the market.

The Illinois Product Farmers Market will be held every Thursday through Sept. 24, excluding Aug. 13, 20, and 27.

Leave a Comment





Latest News Stories

Report: Credit card debt projected to decrease $61B

Report: Credit card debt projected to decrease $61B

By Christine JohnsonThe Center Square It is predicted that there will be a $61 billion decrease in credit card debt based on new data set to be released on Friday...
Taxpayer risk cited after Bears stadium bill stalls

Taxpayer risk cited after Bears stadium bill stalls

By Jim Talamonti | The Center SquareThe Center Square (The Center Square) – Chicago Bears stadium legislation is stalled after questions arose about a potentially unpopular tax structure and financial...
Illinois Quick Hits: General Assembly approves CTE bill

Illinois Quick Hits: General Assembly approves CTE bill

By Jim Talamonti | The Center SquareThe Center Square (The Center Square) – A bill offering career technical education classes as an alternative to Illinois’ foreign language mandate is headed...
Amended scooter, e-bike bill heads to governor

Amended scooter, e-bike bill heads to governor

By Jim Talamonti | The Center SquareThe Center Square (The Center Square) – The Illinois General Assembly has passed a bill to regulate e-bikes, scooters and other micromobility devices, but...
Washington insiders: Social media more influential than traditional media, but few trust it

Washington insiders: Social media more influential than traditional media, but few trust it

By ByTom JoyceThe Center Square Social media has passed traditional media in influence among Washington policy and political insiders, according to a new survey. However, few of those insiders trust...
Ceasefire being tested as U.S., Iran continue to exchange fire

Ceasefire being tested as U.S., Iran continue to exchange fire

By Sarah Roderick-FitchThe Center Square For the third time in a little over a week, the U.S. and Iran exchanged fire, adding more strain to the nearly two-month-long ceasefire. U.S....
Supreme Court declines to hear COVID-19 vaccine case

Supreme Court declines to hear COVID-19 vaccine case

By Andrew RiceThe Center Square The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear a case challenging Washington state's COVID-19 vaccine mandate for healthcare workers. The case, Curtis v. Inslee,...
Supreme Court agrees to hear prisoner release case

Supreme Court agrees to hear prisoner release case

By Andrew RiceThe Center Square The U.S. Supreme Court agreed on Monday to hear a case over whether a federal prisoner can petition to expedite a prison sentence under federal...
New Jersey city faces curfew after violent anti-ICE demonstrations

New Jersey city faces curfew after violent anti-ICE demonstrations

By Chris WadeThe Center Square A nighttime curfew remains in effect outside of a New Jersey ICE detention center Monday after days of violent confrontations with demonstrators that prompted Gov....
Property tax-free Bears deal fails to pass

Property tax-free Bears deal fails to pass

By Jim Talamonti | The Center SquareThe Center Square (The Center Square) – The Illinois legislative session has ended with no stadium deal for the Chicago Bears. House Bill 958...
Illinois Quick Hits: Loyola student's alleged killer charged with new felony

Illinois Quick Hits: Loyola student’s alleged killer charged with new felony

By Jim Talamonti | The Center SquareThe Center Square (The Center Square) – Late Loyola University student Sheridan Gorman’s alleged killer has been charged with possessing a 6-inch shank in...
$55.9 billion budget includes new taxes, 'no property tax relief'

$55.9 billion budget includes new taxes, ‘no property tax relief’

By Jim Talamonti | The Center SquareThe Center Square (The Center Square) – The Illinois General Assembly has voted to approve a record-high budget for fiscal year 2027, with new...
Illinois to require bell-to-bell student phone ban in public schools

Illinois to require bell-to-bell student phone ban in public schools

By Sean Reed | The Center SquareThe Center Square (The Center Square) – Legislation to ban the use of cell phones by students from bell-to-bell officially passed both chambers in...
Election 2026: Stumps heavy with economy, crime in U.S. Senate race

Election 2026: Stumps heavy with economy, crime in U.S. Senate race

By Alan WootenThe Center Square Democrat and fifth decade politician Roy Cooper’s campaign to succeed Sen. Thom Tillis, flipping one of 53 seats in the U.S. Senate, is locked in...
Quintuple fatal in Virginia renews focus on English language in CDL licensures

Quintuple fatal in Virginia renews focus on English language in CDL licensures

By Alan WootenThe Center Square Jing Dong, a U.S. citizen after immigrating from China, will be charged with involuntary manslaughter in the quintuple fatal crash early Friday morning, State Police...