Former DCFS employees charged with fraud
A former Illinois Department of Children and Family Services social worker and 14 others have been indicted on federal charges for allegedly participating in a scheme to fraudulently obtain $3.2 million in state funds intended for childcare services. Prosecutors said Shauntele Pridgeon orchestrated the fraud scheme from 2016 to 2022 while serving as a community social service planner for DCFS in Chicago. Pridgeon fraudulently entered the information of several of her co-defendants into the agency’s computer system and approved them to be paid as providers caring for foster children.
Thieves steal new cars
Chicago police are looking for a group of thieves who made off with several vehicles from a Ford plant Wednesday. Police said as many as 10 suspects got away with mainly Lincolns from the South Deering plant, which were valued at nearly $750,000. A 2023 National Insurance Crime Bureau report listed Illinois as the state with the fifth-highest rate of car thefts in the country.
Megasite projects funding
The Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity has announced the recipients of the Megasites Investment Program funded through Rebuild Illinois Capital Funds. Through the program, the state will leverage $23 million in grants to generate $144 million total investments in nine projects across the state. Megasites are large, developed sites ready for occupancy for manufacturers, distribution centers, industrial centers and more. Some of the projects include water and sewer infrastructure at the Central Illinois Airport in Bloomington, and improvements at the Central Port District in Granite City.
