Office of the
Illinois Attorney General
Kwame Raoul

Chicago – Attorney General Kwame Raoul announced a former Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC) employee was ordered to pay $20,000 in restitution for fraudulently receiving a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan.

Sai’Ja Thomas, 36, of Chicago, was sentenced in Cook County Circuit Court to pay full restitution of $20,000 after pleading guilty to one Class 3 felony count of forgery. She was also sentenced to two years of second chance probation.

“It is unacceptable that anyone, particularly a government worker within law enforcement, would take advantage of Paycheck Protection Program loans,” Raoul said. “These loans were intended to lift up struggling business owners during the COVID-19 pandemic, not allow government workers to line their own pockets. I will continue to hold individuals accountable if they exploit critical aid programs.” 

Thomas was employed by IDOC as a corrections treatment officer when she fraudulently applied for a PPP loan from the U.S. Small Business Administration by falsely claiming she owned a business that did not exist. According to Raoul’s office, Thomas received $20,000 in May 2021 as a result.

The Attorney General’s office investigated this case with the Illinois State Police based on a referral by the Office of Executive Inspector General (OEIG).

This is the most recent action Attorney General Raoul has taken to hold individuals accountable for fraudulently collecting government assistance related to the pandemic. Raoul’s office has prosecuted dozens of individuals for PPP loan fraud and referred other investigations to the appropriate state’s attorneys for further evaluation. 

The case was prosecuted by Assistant Attorney General Peter Ravoori for Raoul’s Criminal Prosecutions Bureau.