2 CPD employees, including sergeant, fraudulently got PPP money, watchdog says
CHICAGO - Two Chicago Police Department employees, including a police sergeant, were accused of fraudulently obtaining federal pandemic relief funds, according to the latest city watchdog report.
The City of Chicago Office of Inspector General listed the alleged misconduct in its quarterly report covering the last three months of 2025, which was published this month.
What we know:
The CPD sergeant fraudulently obtained two Paycheck Protection Program loans worth $39,458 after making false statements in their application. The OIG’s investigation found that the sergeant’s PPP application contained identical information to that of their former CPD partner, who was also investigated for loan fraud.
The watchdog also found that the sergeant signed some of the applications for loans via DocuSign from a city IP address on days they were working.
The alleged fraud violates department rules, the OIG report said. The agency also recommended that CPD discharge the sergeant and refer them for placement on the city’s "do not rehire" list.
Another CPD employee, a civilian worker, was also accused of making false statements to obtain a PPP loan. The OIG said it gave the employee an opportunity to provide documentation that proved the existence of the business eligible for a PPP loan, but they did not provide any.
The OIG said the employee resigned and recommended that they be designated ineligible for rehire.
What they're saying:
The city watchdog said it expects to complete a dozen other PPP fraud investigations in the coming months.
"These cases continue to represent an enormous investment of investigative resources, and we will continue to report out on their outcomes," said Inspector General Deborah Witzburg, in a letter to city officials. "I am pleased to report that it continues to be true that City departments have agreed to fire every City employee against whom we have sustained PPP fraud allegations; I continue to believe that people cannot both work for the government and defraud the government."
Witzburg announced last year that she would not seek a second term as the city’s top watchdog after her current term ends in April.