Chicago police sergeant charged in federal court with fraudulently obtaining COVID-relief loans

Date: May 5, 2026

Contact: newsroom@ci.irs.gov

Chicago, IL – A Chicago police sergeant has been charged in federal court with fraudulently obtaining more than $41,000 in small business loans under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (“CARES”) Act. Under the leadership of U.S. Attorney Andrew S. Boutros and consistent with the Administration’s priorities to identify, investigate, and prosecute criminal fraud in the federal government entitlement and benefit programs, the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois is taking a fresh look at Covid-19 fraud. This prosecution reflects those efforts.

Brandi Wright engaged in fraud related to the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), one of the sources of relief under the CARES Act, according to a criminal information filed Monday in U.S. District Court in Chicago. The information alleges that Wright submitted two applications for PPP loans in 2021 on behalf of a bakery business she claimed to own but that did not actually exist. The applications contained materially false statements and misrepresentations about Wright’s purported business, including gross revenue, payroll needs, and operational expenses, the information states.

Wright fraudulently obtained two loans totaling $41,662, which she intended to use for her personal benefit, the information states.

Wright is a Chicago Police sergeant who resides in Chicago. The information charges her with wire fraud, which is punishable for up to 20 years in federal prison. Arraignment in federal court has not yet been scheduled.

U.S. Attorney Boutros announced the charge along with Adam Jobes, Special Agent-in-Charge of IRS Criminal Investigation in Chicago, and Douglas S. DePodesta, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Richard M. Rothblatt and Sheri Mecklenburg.

IRS-CI is the law enforcement arm of the IRS, responsible for conducting financial crime investigations, including tax fraud, narcotics trafficking, money laundering, public corruption, healthcare fraud, identity theft and more. It is the only federal law enforcement agency with investigative jurisdiction over violations of the Internal Revenue Code. IRS-CI has 18 field offices located across the U.S. and maintains an international presence through attaché posts abroad.