(The Center (Square) – A former employee of a state subcontractor has been indicted on charges that she fraudulently obtained more than $4.6 million in COVID-era unemployment insurance benefits for herself and hundreds of others.
Federal prosecutors said Andrea Wellington, 35, of Chicago and codefendant Randall Easley, 38, accessed the Illinois Department of Employment Security’s Pandemic Unemployment Assistance system and fraudulently increased the wage histories of hundreds of PUA applicants, causing IDES to disburse more than $4.6 million in payments to which the recipients were not entitled.
Wellington pleaded not guilty 21 counts of wire fraud. Easley pleaded not guilty to 14 counts of wire fraud.
Five found dead in Lake County home
Authorities are investigating after five people were found dead in a Mundelein home. Police conducted a welfare check on Sunday night and discovered three men and two adult women with apparent gunshot wounds.
Police said there was no imminent threat to the public.
Mexican national sentenced for fentanyl-related offenses
A federal judge has sentenced a Mexican national to six years and 10 months in prison for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute fentanyl in northwest Indiana.
Prosecutors said Angel Antonio Penaloza Rojo, 33, brought about 3 kilograms of a substance containing fentanyl to East Chicago in August 2024.
U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Indiana Adam Mildred said Penaloza Rojo entered the country illegally for the sole purpose of trafficking deadly fentanyl from Mexico.
State: Digital kiosk operators refunded more than $750,000
The Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation announced on Monday that digital asset kiosk operators have refunded more than $750,000 to Illinois consumers since the Digital Asset Kiosks Act took effect in August 2025.
Senate Bill 2319 provides that kiosk operators provide full refunds to new customers who are victims of scams conducted through kiosks.
Consumers who believe they may have been the victim of a scam involving a digital asset kiosk can request a refund by reporting fraud to the operator within 30 days of the transaction and providing a police report to the operator within 60 days of the transaction.
IDFPR also encourages consumers to file a complaint on the IDFPR website.
Lone Illinois U.S. Senate debate set for Tuesday
The lone debate between Democratic Party nominee Juliana Stratton and Republican nominee Don Tracy in the campaign for U.S. Senate in Illinois is scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. Central time on Tuesday.
The WTTW News event can be seen live via Blue Room Stream.
