Warrenville woman ordered to pay restitution for fraudulently collecting Paycheck Protection Program loan

A DuPage County woman was sentenced Friday to probation and ordered to pay full restitution for fraudulently collecting more than $20,000 through a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan while employed by Illinois Toll Highway Authority, according to an Illinois Attorney General’s Office news release.

Krystal D. Britten, 53, of Warrenville, pleaded guilty to felony theft of government property by deception and was sentenced to two years of probation and ordered to pay back the loan. She paid $20,829 in restitution at the time of her sentencing, according to the release.

“COVID-era assistance programs were vital for the survival of millions of unemployed Americans and small businesses. It is unconscionable any individual, especially those employed by state and local government agencies who work on behalf of Illinois taxpayers, would take advantage of these programs for their own financial gain,” Attorney General Kwame Raoul said in the release. “I will continue to ensure all current and former government employees who took advantage of the pandemic to steal from loan programs are held accountable.”

Britten allegedly applied for and received a PPP loan in May 2021 from the U.S. Small Business Administration [SBA] by falsely claiming that she operated a sole proprietorship business. The SBA later forgave the loan after Britten submitted fraudulent documents claiming she had used the funds in compliance with PPP loan requirements, authorities said.