Federal Charges Continue to Show That No One Is Above the Law
Two former Chicago Police Department (CPD) Officers were charged federally for fraudulently obtaining over $2 million in money earmarked for COVID-19 relief programs. Last month, Torrey Price retired from the CPD after being a member for over 23 years and his codefendant, Aaron Price. The two former police officers, along with a third person, are alleged to have fraudulently obtained over $1.4 million in forgivable loans under the Paycheck Protection Program (more commonly referred to as “PPP Loans”), along with seeking an additional $4.2 million for which they were unsuccessful. It is alleged that Aaron Price and the other individual also applied for separate relief from the Economic Injury Disaster Loan program (EIDL). Torrey Price, who was a member of the police force at the time he is alleged to have participated in the crime, also filed for bankruptcy in 2020 claiming he was retired from the police force due to a “medical issue” which could lead to further charges should prosecutors chose to investigate further and find evidence of bankruptcy fraud. The group is accused of submitting over 100 applications for economic relief from the pandemic related programs.
Five More Cook County Employees Alleged to Have Defrauded Government Through PPP Loans
The news of the CPD officers comes after five more Cook County employees have come under investigation for defrauding the federal government, bringing the number to 25 according to the Interim Cook County Inspector General, although many more employees have resigned or been fired after being linked to PPP Fraud, with 48 in the County Clerk’s office alone. Employees that have been suspected of PPP fraud are spread across many departments, including the health department, facilities management, the public defender’s office, the assessor’s office, the bureau of technology, the secretary to the board of county commissioners, the board of review and the revenue department. Such actions and charges are a reminder that no person is above the law and prosecutors are not afraid to bring charges against anyone, including law enforcement or court employees.
