Investigation reveals several Cook County employees falsified PPP loan applications

The Cook County Independent Inspector General has concluded investigations of 18 mostly former employees who were accused of violating county employment policies, and some were found to have falsified federal documents to obtain Paycheck Protection Program loans totaling a combined $329,500.

According to Inspector General Tirrell Paxton’s quarterly report released Thursday, his office “conducted investigations to determine if the employees informed the county that they were engaging in secondary employment and otherwise complied with county personnel rules.”

Deputy Inspector General Tom Wilson said evidence uncovered during the county’s investigation regarding the PPP loans was turned over to federal authorities.

“The OIIG routinely refers sustained cases where criminal activity is suspected to federal and state prosecutors and agencies, and we have done so with all of our sustained PPP investigations,” he said.

The individual value of the loans ranged between $9,500 and $21,000, according to the report.

The investigations involved 16 Cook County Health employees, as well as one worker from the medical examiner’s office and another at the county clerk’s office.

All investigations resulted in the inspector general recommending the employees’ terminations and them being put on the county’s “do not hire list.”

According to the report, 13 of the investigations determined the employees had not violated the county’s dual employment policies, but had “submitted false information to the federal government to obtain a financial benefit.”

Three other investigations determined the county employees had violated the county’s dual employment policies and they also claimed to be the sole proprietor of a business when applying for the PPP loan, which wasn’t true.

The last two investigations determined the county employees had violated the county’s dual employment rules and they “provided false and misleading information” about the nature of their businesses and the income generated when applying for the loans.

None of the employees were named in the report.

According to the report, the investigations involved 12 women and six men. Eleven employees were terminated, four resigned, one retired and the status of two others was unknown when the report was prepared.