Yearlong Cook sheriff’s fraud investigation nets 10

A yearlong Cook County Sheriff’s Office investigation into fraudulent use of government-issued assistance cards has resulted in 10 arrests.

Three of the suspects charged with fraud and theft hail from the Northwest suburbs. Kanu Desai, 46, and Taru Desai, 37, both of the 200 block of W. Berkley Lane in Hoffman Estates, are charged with theft of government property over $300, wire fraud, state benefits fraud over $300 and conspiracy to commit public aid wire fraud. They were arrested in early December 2010, sheriff’s officials said.

Streamwood resident Jantilal Patel, 55, of the 400 block of Kensington Drive, is charged with theft over $500 and continuing a financial crimes enterprise. Patel was arrested Tuesday, sheriff’s officials said.

Seven other men from Maywood, Chicago Ridge, Bridgeview, Orland Park and Palos Hills also were arrested and charged, officials said.

Sheriff’s investigators targeted suburban convenience stores in what was called “Operation Broken LINK,” after the electronic benefit cards provided to many low-income residents by the government. They are called “LINK cards” in Illinois, sheriff’s officials said.

Investigators discovered some store owners and operators illegally using the cards to stock the shelves of their stores and significantly marking up the prices on the items, sheriff’s police said.

The scheme worked by store operators “renting” the cards from undercover officers who were given cash in exchange for access to the cards and the users’ personal identification numbers. The convenience store workers would go to other shops and buy items with the LINK card and then put those items for sale at their stores at costs of as much as five times over purchase price.

Other times, undercover officers would sell what the store operators believed to be stolen goods that would then also be marked up considerably above the purchase price. Commonly, the store operators bought razor blades and over-the-counter drugs, officials said.

Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart said the investigation into LINK card fraud in the area continues.