Suburban Chicago Man Sentenced to Nearly Six Years in Prison for Covid-Relief Fraud

Summary

A press release published 2025-08-21 by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Illinois announcing that Christopher Scott, 46, of Hazel Crest, Illinois, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Elaine E. Bucklo to five years and ten months in prison and ordered to pay $567,333 in restitution after pleading guilty to wire fraud. According to the release, in 2020 and 2021 Scott submitted PPP and EIDL applications on behalf of non-existent or non-operating businesses, causing lenders and the SBA to disburse more than $550,000. It states that Scott and others spent the proceeds on personal items, including purchases at Tiffany & Co., Jared Jewelers, Von Maur, Nordstrom and Saks Fifth Avenue.

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CHICAGO — A federal judge has sentenced a suburban Chicago man to nearly six years in prison for fraudulently obtaining more than $550,000 in small business loans under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.
In 2020 and 2021, CHRISTOPHER SCOTT engaged in fraud related to the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and the Economic Injury Disaster Loan program (EIDL)—two sources of relief under the CARES Act.  Scott submitted to lenders and the U.S. Small Business Administration numerous applications on behalf of non-existent or non-operating businesses. The applications contained false statements and misrepresentations concerning, among other things, the purported businesses’ revenues, payrolls, and operating expenses.  The fraud scheme caused lenders and the SBA to disburse more than $550,000 in loans to Scott.
Scott and others used the loan proceeds on personal expenses, including numerous purchases at luxury retailers Tiffany & Co., Jared Jewelers, Von Maur, Nordstrom, and Saks Fifth Avenue.
Scott, 46, of Hazel Crest, Ill., pleaded guilty earlier this year to a federal wire fraud charge.  On Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Elaine E. Bucklo sentenced Scott to five years and ten months in federal prison and ordered him to pay $567,333 in restitution.
The sentence was announced by Andrew S. Boutros, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Dai Tran, Special Agent-in-Charge of the U.S. Secret Service Chicago Field Office.  Substantial assistance was provided by the SBA Office of Inspector General.
“Put simply, Scott’s crime was motivated by greed,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Alejandro G. Ortega argued in the government’s sentencing memorandum.  “This offense was not a simple lapse in judgment, or a crime born out of economic poverty or necessity.  It was, at least, a year-long scheme to fraudulently obtain free money from the government.”
“The government programs exploited in this case were intended to help struggling small businesses stay afloat during the pandemic,” Secret Service SAIC Tran said.  “Instead, this man pilfered more than half a million dollars from these programs—and by extension, taxpayers—to go on an outrageous high-end spending spree to benefit himself.  I’m proud of the work the Secret Service and the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Northern District of Illinois did to bring justice in this case.”

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