Every case comes from public records: court filings, U.S. Attorney and Illinois Attorney General releases, and Auditor General and Inspector General reports. Each one is listed with its source below.
Every case in the game
Only proven cases: a conviction, a guilty plea, or an official Auditor General or Inspector General finding. Allegations stay out. Audit findings are shown, but only cases proven in court count toward your score. Case status as of September 2026.
Not every box is fraud. Most state programs do what they're supposed to, and most people who work in them are honest. This is about how the money is managed and checked. See something that looks like waste or fraud in state government? Report it to the Illinois Office of Executive Inspector General.
| Amount | What happened | Source |
|---|---|---|
| $53.7 million | Dixon city comptroller, appointed Small city's $53.7 million theft (1990-2012, Guilty plea · Illinois history). The city comptroller of Dixon secretly moved city money into a hidden bank account for over 20 years. She spent it on a horse-breeding business and a life of luxury while the city cut budgets. Pleaded guilty to wire fraud. Sentenced to nearly 20 years in federal prison. The sentence was commuted in 2024. | U.S. Attorney, Northern District of Illinois |
| $14.2 million | COVID tests billed, never run (2021-2022, Guilty plea). A Chicago lab owner billed the government for COVID tests that were never run or were watered down to save money. Patients were told they tested negative anyway. Pleaded guilty to wire fraud; sentenced to 7 years in federal prison (June 2025); $14.1 million restitution; cash and luxury cars forfeited | U.S. Attorney, Northern District of Illinois, June 2025 |
| $14 million | 1,500 fake pandemic loans, $14 million (2020-2021, Guilty plea). A Palos Hills tax preparer sent in more than 1,500 fake small business loan applications during the pandemic and took a cut of up to $4,000 on each one. He sent some of the money overseas to build a second home. Pleaded guilty to wire fraud; sentenced to 10 years in federal prison (March 2026); $14 million restitution and $741,000 forfeited | U.S. Attorney, Northern District of Illinois, March 2026 |
| $11 million+ | Tax preparer's $11 million jobless scheme (2020-2022, Conviction). An Orland Park tax preparer used her clients' names without their knowledge to file nearly 700 fake pandemic unemployment claims, taking more than $11 million. About $2.8 million came out as cash from ATMs. Convicted by a jury in May 2026 of mail fraud and conspiracy. Sentencing is set for October 2, 2026. | U.S. Department of Justice, May 2026 |
| $8.3 million+ | Grocery store cashed out food aid (2011-2019, Guilty plea). A Chicago grocery store owner traded food aid benefits for cash and for items the programs do not cover. He also ran benefits through for stores that were not allowed to take them. Pleaded guilty to wire fraud and tax charges; sentenced to 3.5 years in federal prison (Aug 2025); $8.9 million restitution | U.S. Attorney, Northern District of Illinois, August 2025 |
| $7 million+ | Hospice for patients who weren't dying (2008-2012, Guilty plea · Illinois history). The owner of a Lisle hospice company paid staff bonuses to put patients on the most expensive hospice care they did not need. Some nursing home residents were kept in hospice for years. Owner pleaded guilty to health care fraud; sentenced to 6.5 years in federal prison, $9M restitution; nursing director convicted at trial | U.S. Attorney, Northern District of Illinois |
| $6.3 million | Home health visits in a car (2011-2017, Conviction · Illinois history). A Chicago home health company billed Medicare for patients who were not homebound, and some patients were paid cash to take part. Some 'visits' happened in the nurse's car. Convicted at trial; owner 84 months, co-owner 60 months, a staff member 56 months; $6.3M restitution | U.S. Department of Justice |
| $3.3 million | Child care aid bought a Bentley (2012-2020, Guilty plea). The owner of five Chicago-area day cares sent the state fake pay stubs and income letters so families would qualify for child care aid. She used the money to buy a house and a Bentley. Pleaded guilty to wire fraud; 4 years in federal prison; ordered to repay $3,339,563 | U.S. Attorney, Northern District of Illinois |
| $3 million | Paid kickbacks for Medicare patients (2008-2015, Conviction · Illinois history). The owner of a Harwood Heights home health company paid recruiters to steer Medicare patients to her, then billed Medicare for their care. An appeals court upheld the conviction. Convicted by jury on all 10 counts; 36 months in prison; upheld by the 7th Circuit (Dec 2020) | U.S. Department of Justice |
| $2.9 million | Fake businesses got $2.9 million (2020, Conviction). A Chicago man sent in loan applications for businesses with made-up owners, workers and sales to get federal pandemic disaster loans and grants. A jury convicted him on every count. Convicted on 12 counts of wire fraud; sentenced to 5.5 years in federal prison; $2.9M+ restitution | U.S. Attorney, Northern District of Illinois |
| $2.5 million | Youth counseling center padded Medicaid bills (2011-2018, Conviction · Illinois history). Managers of a Matteson youth counseling center billed Illinois Medicaid for staff meetings, training and paperwork as if they were counseling sessions. They also had staff backdate and fake patient records. Convicted; managers sentenced to 6 years and 4.5 years in federal prison; an employee got 3 years 1 month | U.S. Attorney, Northern District of Illinois |
| $2.46 million | Therapy billed, never given (2021-2023, Guilty plea). A Bolingbrook clinic owner billed Illinois Medicaid health plans for therapy sessions that never happened. She was sent to prison and paid back $1.5 million right after sentencing. Pleaded guilty to Managed Health Care Fraud (Dec 2024); 3 years in prison; $2.2M restitution ordered | Illinois Attorney General |
| $1.9 million | After-school grants for fake subcontractors (2012-2023, Guilty plea). The head of a Chicago-area nonprofit padded after-school grant applications with subcontractors who did no work, two of them groups she ran herself. The state education grant lost about $1.8 million, and she later cheated a federal program too. Pleaded guilty to wire fraud; sentenced to 1 year in federal prison (March 2026). A second executive also pleaded guilty. | U.S. Attorney, Northern District of Illinois, April 2026 |
| $1.6 million | A pharmacy that didn't exist (2012-2015, Guilty plea · Illinois history). A Des Plaines man set up a fake pharmacy with no store and no drugs, then billed Medicare drug plans for hundreds of prescriptions it never filled. He hid that he owned it by using a stand-in owner. Pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit health care fraud (Sept 2018); 5 years in federal prison | U.S. Department of Justice |
| $1.55 million | 1,200 food aid cards misused (2018-2023, Guilty plea). A Chicago man paid people cash for their food-aid cards and PINs, used the cards to buy goods, and resold them for profit. He used more than 1,200 cards. Pleaded guilty to wire fraud; 4 years 4 months in federal prison; $1,554,804 restitution | U.S. Attorney, Northern District of Illinois |
| $1.3 million | Illinois House Speaker Speaker convicted in ComEd bribery (2011-2019, Conviction · Illinois history). The longest-serving House Speaker in U.S. history was convicted of taking part in a scheme where ComEd paid his political allies about $1.3 million over eight years for little or no work while it sought his help on laws. An appeals court upheld every conviction in April 2026. Convicted on 10 counts (conspiracy, bribery, wire fraud, Travel Act), acquitted on 7, with the jury deadlocked on 6; 7.5 years in federal prison and a $2.5 million fine; convictions affirmed by the 7th Circuit (Apr 27, 2026). He has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to hear his case; that request is pending. | U.S. Attorney, Northern District of Illinois |
| $1.24 million | Meat market bought food aid cards (2017-2021, Guilty plea). A Swansea man ran an East St. Louis meat market that bought food aid cards for half their value in cash and let people use them on alcohol and tobacco. He had been banned from the program before and got back in by using family members' names. Pleaded guilty to unlawful acquisition of SNAP benefits; sentenced to 5 years in federal prison (March 2024); ordered to repay over $1.2 million | U.S. Attorney, Southern District of Illinois, March 2024 |
| $1.2 million+ | Doctor billed therapy never given (Convicted 2024, Conviction). An Oak Park doctor who ran two tutoring and therapy centers billed Illinois Medicaid for therapy and medical visits that never happened. The state's Medicaid watchdog caught him because he billed an unusual number of hours each day. Convicted by a Cook County jury (Feb 2024) of theft and vendor fraud; sentenced to 8 years in prison. His biller pleaded guilty and got probation. | Illinois Attorney General, June 2024 |
| $1.1 million | School official billed for fake services (About 10 years, Guilty plea). A former Chicago high school principal and a vendor billed two school systems and a nonprofit for services that were never provided. All three people in the scheme were sent to prison. Pleaded guilty to wire fraud; sentences of 1 year 1 day, 2 years, and 1 year 1 day; $1,099,200 restitution | U.S. Attorney, Northern District of Illinois |
| $770,715 | Markham Public Library director Library director's decade of skimming (2009-2019, Guilty plea). The director of the Markham Public Library opened bank accounts in the library's name, deposited its checks, and spent the money on his mortgage and car repairs. He also gave himself a raise the board never approved. Pleaded guilty to wire fraud; sentenced to 2 years in federal prison (Dec 2024); $770,715 restitution | U.S. Attorney, Northern District of Illinois, December 2024 |
| $685,000 | Glucose sensors billed, never prescribed (Sentenced 2023, Conviction). A Cook County medical supply company billed Illinois Medicaid for more diabetes sensor boxes than doctors had prescribed. The owner and the company's biller were both sent to prison. Found guilty of theft (2 counts) and vendor fraud; 6 years in prison each | Illinois Attorney General |
| $683,817 | State senator Campaign cash for personal bills (2015-2020, Guilty plea). He spent campaign money on personal things like vehicles and mortgage payments. He filed false reports to hide it from state election officials. Pleaded guilty in 2024, on the third day of trial, to wire fraud, money laundering and tax evasion. Sentenced to 42 months and restitution. | U.S. Attorney, Central District of Illinois |
| $603,348 | Governor A governor's gifts-for-contracts scheme (1991-2002, Conviction · Illinois history). He steered state contracts and leases to friends who gave him gifts, trips and cash. The case grew out of a scandal where his office sold truck driver licenses for bribes that went to his campaign. Convicted by a jury in 2006 on 18 counts, including racketeering and fraud. Sentenced to 6.5 years. No pardon or commutation. The amount shown is what the court ordered him to repay. | U.S. Department of Transportation Inspector General |
| $564,936 | Carbondale store bought food aid (2014-2020, Guilty plea). A Carbondale store owner bought food aid benefits from customers and used them to stock his store. He also let customers use the benefits on tobacco and alcohol. Pleaded guilty to food stamp fraud and money laundering; sentenced to 46 months in federal prison (July 2026); $564,936 restitution | U.S. Attorney, Southern District of Illinois, July 2026 |
| $550,000 in taxes cut | Cook County Assessor's Office employee (took the bribes) Free home work, lower tax bills (2016-2019, Guilty plea). A construction company owner gave a Cook County Assessor's Office worker free work on his house, including concrete, decking and gas lines. In return, the worker cut the property taxes on the owner's buildings by at least $550,000. Owner pleaded guilty to bribery charges; sentenced to 5 years in federal prison (Aug 2024). The assessor's employee also pleaded guilty. | U.S. Attorney, Northern District of Illinois, August 2024 |
| $525,521 | Paid twice for the same test (2020-2021, Guilty plea). The owner of a Peoria-area COVID testing lab billed Medicare, the State of Illinois and private insurers for services that were never done. He also got paid by more than one payer for the same test. Pleaded guilty to wire fraud and health care fraud; sentenced to an extra 37 months in prison (July 2025), on top of 5 years in an earlier fraud case | U.S. Attorney, Central District of Illinois, July 2025 |
| $250,000+ | State senator Senator took $250,000 in bribes (About 2016-2019, Guilty plea · Illinois history). A powerful state senator admitted taking more than $250,000 in bribes, including $5,000 a month from a red-light camera company to protect its business in Springfield. Pleaded guilty to bribery and filing a false tax return in 2020, and agreed to cooperate. He died later that year, before sentencing. | U.S. Attorney, Northern District of Illinois |
| $250,000+ | Cook County commissioner and McCook mayor Mayor's liquor license shakedown (Pleaded 2020, Guilty plea). As mayor and liquor commissioner, he demanded payments from people who needed village approvals, including a restaurant owner. He also filed a false tax return. Pleaded guilty in 2020 to extortion conspiracy and a false tax return, and cooperated. Sentenced in 2025 to 4 years. He died before reporting to prison. | U.S. Attorney, Northern District of Illinois |
| $248,828 | State senator Union paycheck, no work (2013-2016, Guilty plea · Illinois history). While serving as a state senator, he was on a Teamsters union payroll as an organizer but did little or no work. The money was union pay and benefits, not public money. Pleaded guilty in 2022 to embezzlement. Sentenced to 1 year in prison and restitution. | U.S. Department of Labor Inspector General |
| $199,900 | Church relief loan paid a mortgage (2020, Guilty plea). A pastor in McLeansboro got pandemic disaster loans in his church's name with fake papers, sent to his own bank account. He spent it on his mortgage, a pole barn and travel, and the church got nothing. Pleaded guilty to wire fraud and false statements; sentenced to 21 months in federal prison (Nov 2025); ordered to repay $199,900 plus interest | U.S. Attorney, Southern District of Illinois, November 2025 |
| $197,478 | Landlord was secretly her husband (2005-2018, Conviction · Illinois history). A woman in Chicago's housing voucher program never told the housing authority that her landlord was her husband, so he collected the rent aid for years. He also collected rent aid for a home his mother-in-law rented. Both sentenced (Aug 2025) to 2 years in prison; court judgments of $133,020 and $44,458 owed to the Chicago Housing Authority | Illinois Attorney General, August 2025 |
| $135,567 | Student activity cash pocketed (2016-2022, Guilty plea). A worker in a school superintendent's office kept the cash from student activity deposits and made fake deposit slips to hide it. She did it 165 times. Pleaded guilty to theft from a federally funded program; 15 months (3 in federal prison, 12 in community confinement); full restitution | U.S. Attorney, Southern District of Illinois |
| $115,000 | Disability care billed, daughter moved away (Pleaded 2022-2024, Guilty plea). A Chicago mother and daughter billed a state program for in-home disability care for another daughter who was actually living out of state. She came back once a year just to keep qualifying. Pleaded guilty to vendor fraud; 4 years of probation each; $78,000 in restitution ordered in total | Illinois Attorney General, February 2024 |
| $102,249 | East St. Louis Public Library director; state public aid eligibility assistant Food aid cards, then library card (2022-2024, Guilty plea). A state worker whose job was to issue food aid cards to needy families used 98 of the cards herself. After she became East St. Louis library director, she used the library's credit card for car repairs and cash. Pleaded guilty to wire fraud, theft from federally funded programs and bank fraud; sentenced to 15 months in federal prison (April 2026); $102,249 restitution | U.S. Attorney, Southern District of Illinois, April 2026 |
| $100,000+ | Johnson County 911 administrator 911 chief billed for phantom equipment (2017-2023, Guilty plea). The county 911 administrator for three southern Illinois counties turned in bills for 911 equipment that was never delivered. He said he had paid with his own credit card and needed to be paid back right away. Pleaded guilty (Sept 2026) to theft of government property over $100,000 and official misconduct. Sentencing is set for Jan. 13, 2027. | Illinois Attorney General, September 2026 |
| $60,000 | Shipman village trustee and treasurer Village treasurer paid her own bills (Pleaded 2025, Guilty plea). A trustee who was also treasurer of the small Macoupin County village of Shipman forged signatures on village checks to pay herself wages she was not owed. She used village money for her utility bills, storage units and school tuition. Pleaded guilty to theft of government property, forgery and official misconduct (July 2025); 2 years of probation; $60,000 restitution | Illinois Attorney General, July 2025 |
| $58,454 | Jersey County treasurer The county treasurer's cash slips (2023-2024, Guilty plea). She faked cash slips and checks from county bank accounts and used the money herself. She resigned and paid it back. Pleaded guilty in 2025 to felony theft. Sentenced to 30 months of probation, home confinement and repayment. | Illinois Attorney General |
| $28,919 | Boone County clerk and recorder County clerk's card bought groceries (Pleaded 2025, Guilty plea). The Boone County clerk and recorder took cash from the county. She used a county credit card for groceries, tires and her own debts. Pleaded guilty to theft of government property and official misconduct (Sept 2025); 180 days in jail and 4 years of probation; $28,919 restitution | Illinois Attorney General, September 2025 |
| $14,285 | Chicago alderman The ward charity fund (Pleaded 2019, Guilty plea). He raised money for a ward charity for kids and seniors, then used some of it for casino gambling, his daughter's tuition and home items. Pleaded guilty in 2019 to wire fraud and resigned. Sentenced to 1 year and a day. | U.S. Attorney, Northern District of Illinois |
| $2,500 bribe | State representative A bribe for a senator's vote (2019, Guilty plea · Illinois history). He paid a state senator to back a bill that helped his lobbying client's sweepstakes gaming machines. The senator was secretly working with the FBI and recorded it. Pleaded guilty in 2021 to wire fraud. Sentenced to 57 months in federal prison. | U.S. Attorney, Northern District of Illinois |
| $1,139 | Westchester public works director Village credit card bought a bathtub (Pleaded 2025, Guilty plea). The public works director in the village of Westchester used a village credit card to buy a bathtub for his own home. Pleaded guilty to felony theft of government property (April 2025); 2 years of probation and 30 hours of public service; paid it all back | Illinois Attorney General, April 2025 |
| $5.24 billion | $5.24 billion in unemployment overpaid (2020-2022, Audit finding). From 2019 to 2022, the state unemployment agency reported $5.24 billion in overpayments. Auditors say that total mixes honest mistakes with fraud and identity theft; $3.20 billion of it came through the federal pandemic program. To pay claims faster, some routine identity checks were suspended. Illinois Auditor General performance audit, July 2023. The agency had stopped or recovered about $511.7 million when auditors looked. Not added to your total, because it includes honest errors. | Illinois Auditor General, July 26, 2023 |
| $40.5 million | Jobless checks sent to prison inmates (2020-2022, Audit finding). The state unemployment agency sent 92,811 payments to 3,448 people who were in prison or jail at the time, and not eligible. Found in the Auditor General's July 2023 audit of the unemployment agency. Part of the $5.24 billion in overpayments. | Illinois Auditor General, July 2023 |
| $6.0 million | Unemployment paid to dead people (2020-2022, Audit finding). Auditors found 481 people who had already died received 10,527 unemployment payments. Some had already been flagged as fraud. Found in the Auditor General's July 2023 audit of the unemployment agency. Part of the $5.24 billion in overpayments. | Illinois Auditor General, July 2023 |
| $78.5 million | $78.5 million for workers on standby (2022-2023, Audit finding). The state emergency agency paid a staffing company $78.5 million for about 470,000 hours when contract workers were on standby, not working, out of $220.3 million the company billed. The Auditor General made 10 recommendations. | Illinois Auditor General, Aug 11, 2026 |
| $2.8 million+ | State workers took pandemic loans falsely (2020-2021, Inspector General finding). The state's ethics watchdog found state employees got federal pandemic small-business loans using false information, mostly around $20,000 each. Of 501 cases it finished, it found wrongdoing in 378, and more than 200 workers were fired or resigned. More than 200 workers fired or resigned. Some pleaded guilty to felony theft and had to repay. | Office of Executive Inspector General |
| $23 million found, $1.26 million back | Overpayments found, barely collected (2024, Inspector General finding). Medicaid insurance companies found $23 million in overpayments to health care providers in one year, but only $1.26 million was recovered. Under their state contracts, the insurers keep what they recover. Not a crime: an oversight gap. Only about 5% of overpayments found were collected. | HFS Inspector General, FY2024 annual report |
| $2 million fine | Chicago alderman Alderman used office to win clients (2016-2018, Conviction · Illinois history). Chicago's longest-serving alderman used his city power to pressure developers into hiring his private property-tax law firm. A jury convicted him of racketeering, bribery and attempted extortion. Convicted on 13 of 14 counts. 2 years in federal prison and a $2 million fine. A fine, so it doesn't add to your total. | U.S. Attorney, Northern District of Illinois |
| $1.5 million sought | Governor A U.S. Senate seat for sale (2008, Conviction · Illinois history). After Barack Obama won the presidency, the governor tried to trade the open U.S. Senate seat for campaign money or a job. He also tried to shake down a children's hospital executive and others for donations. Convicted in 2010 and 2011 and sentenced to 14 years. An appeals court threw out 5 counts, and he was resentenced to the same 14 years in 2016. President Trump commuted the sentence in 2020 and pardoned him in 2025. | U.S. Attorney, Northern District of Illinois |
| $3.42 million | Relief grants to ineligible businesses (2020-2021, Audit finding). The state's pandemic small business grant program paid 196 businesses that did not qualify based on their own applications. Applicants were allowed to vouch for themselves with no checking. The Auditor General's program audit (May 2023). It also found $11 million paid to 630 applicants under a category the law did not allow. | Illinois Auditor General, May 2023 |
| $1.19 million | Kids' health plan covered adults (2018-2020, Audit finding). Auditors found 1,328 people still on the state's children's health plan after they turned 19, too old to qualify. The plan paid for 11,011 of their services. A quarter of the yearly eligibility checks due in one year were never done. The Auditor General's program audit (2023) with four recommendations to the two agencies that run the plan. | Illinois Auditor General, 2023 |
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