Chicago Felon Scams Gov Out COVID Relief Funds

A Chicago man was sentenced to more than five years in prison on a gun charge and for lying in order to get nearly $21,000 in federal aid meant to assist small businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Justice Department said.

Tyjuan Lighthall, 25, was caught in January of 2019, with a firearm that had an extended magazine he’d illegally purchased for $400 in Indiana, federal prosecutors said. Being a previously convicted felon meant he was prohibited from having a weapon.

While out on bail in April of 2021, Lighthall applied for a loan under the CARES Act. Lighthall told a lender that he was the owner of a business called “Tyjaun Lighthall,” which purportedly did business under the name “Infinite 5 Creations LLC.”

Once the loan was approved, the lender deposited $20,833 into Lighthall’s bank account, when in reality, the business did not exist.

Lighthall pleaded guilty earlier this year to the firearm charge and admitted that he also engaged in the COVID-relief fraud. A judge sentenced him to 63 months in prison last week.