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A Crest Hill man with a pending charge of threatening a woman into paying him money, now faces a new charge alleging he fraudulently obtained a $20,833 loan meant for businesses struggling to make payroll during the COVID-19 pandemic.
On Friday, Will County Judge Art Smigielski signed a warrant for the arrest of Tyrielle Gordon, 28, on charges of theft by deception, loan fraud, wire fraud, forgery involving the Paycheck Protection Program, as well as theft and state benefits fraud.
Smigielski’s warrant carries a $350,000 bond. Gordon has not yet been arrested as of Tuesday, according to Crest Hill Police Chief Ed Clark.
Crest Hill police detectives reviewed a list of people who received PPP loans and noticed Gordon, a man they’ve dealt with before, had managed to obtain one, Clark said.
An investigation showed Gordon obtained the PPP loan for a business that was not legitimate, Clark said. He did not release information about what type of business it was.
A criminal complaint filed in court, alleged Gordon made false claims about a sole proprietor business in order to receive the $20,833 loan on June 25, 2021.
Gordon was further charged with providing two documents to a lender with false information about his purported landscaping and entertainment businesses.
Clark said detectives are still reviewing other PPP loan applications when they can.
“They’re still investigating several others,” Clark said.
On Dec. 8, 2020, Gordon was arrested and booked into the Will County jail on charges of intimidation, unlawful restraint and battery. That case is still pending in court.
Prosecutors alleged Gordon threatened a woman into paying him money on Dec. 8, 2020, and unlawfully detained her at the Crest Hill Inn, 2109 Plainfield Road. Prosecutors also alleged Gordon punched the same woman in the head.
In the PPP loan fraud case, prosecutors alleged Gordon applied for the PPP loan by falsely claiming he had no open felony charge against him, when in fact he was charged in 2020 with intimidation, unlawful restraint and battery.
Gordon was also charged with fraudulently obtaining $5,068 in unemployment benefits last year when he was ineligible to receive that money because he received funds from the PPP loan program.
An investigation of PPP loan fraud by the Joliet Police Department and other agencies has led to charges against 25 people, several of whom used the money from the program to bond themselves out of jail, according to Joliet Police Detective James Kilgore.
Three men from Steger, two of whom are sex offenders, have been charged with PPP loan fraud. One man in Romeoville has also been charged with PPP loan fraud.