A former DeKalb County sheriff’s corrections deputy pleaded guilty this week and was ordered by a judge to pay $20,000 in restitution after authorities said he defrauded the federal pandemic-era Paycheck Protection Program.

Bartholomew Ilenikhena, of Cortland, pleaded guilty to one count of theft between $10,000 and $100,000, a Class 2 felony, during a hearing at the DeKalb County Courthouse in Sycamore on Monday.

Under the agreement, he’s required to pay $20,000 to the U.S. Small Business Administration.

While speaking before Circuit Court Judge Joseph Pedersen, Ilenikhena said he was prepared to pay the restitution Monday morning. Records show it was paid shortly after the agreement was filed.

The case was prosecuted by a special prosecutor with the Illinois Attorney General’s Office.

Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul said in the release that “countless small business owners relied on the Paycheck Protection Program, as well as other federal assistance programs to survive during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.”

“It is unacceptable that a government worker, particularly someone within law enforcement, would take advantage of these programs for personal gain,” Raoul said.

Assistant Attorney General Haley Bookhout told Pedersen Monday that the state had evidence that showed Ilenikhena’s PPP loan application listed a fake business.

“And therefore he is not entitled to the Paycheck Protection Program,” Bookhout said during the hearing.

She declined further comment.

Ilenikhena’s wife, Savannah Ilenikhena, a former DeKalb County Board member, also faced PPP loan fraud charges. Her case remains pending in court, records show.

As part his agreement, Bartholomew Ilenikhena is required to complete 30 hours of community service work while serving 24 months of probation.

If Ilenikhena completes the term of the plea agreement, he won’t face prison time and could see his criminal record changed.

Pedersen withheld judgment after the plea because Ilenikhena has been given second-chance probation, which means the conviction could be taken off his record if he adheres to the terms of his agreement.

On July 11, 2025, Ilenikhena was charged with one count of loan fraud and theft between $10,000 and $100,000, court records show. If he had been convicted and had not entered into the plea agreement, he could have faced up to seven years in prison. He was also charged with three counts of forgery, but those charges were dropped as part of the plea agreement, documents show.

Ilenikhena, who resigned from the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office in May 2025, pleaded not guilty to the charges in October. He did not respond to a request for comment, nor did his lawyer, Melanie Fialkowski.

In his PPP application, Ilenikhena reported a business named “Bartholomew Ilenikhena” had a gross income of $10,482 in 2019, according to court records. But he also listed a business of the same name with a different 2019 gross income amount, $89,195, in a PPP application to a financial institution, prosecutors alleged in court documents.

In June 2021, Ilenikhena received $18,580 from a fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program application, as well as a $10,000 Economic Injury Disaster Loan grant, according to a news release.

DeKalb County Sheriff Andy Sullivan said the actions taken by his former deputy do not represent the values and mission of his office.

“Accountability for those actions must be maintained so that we can continue to serve the public and maintain their trust,” Sullivan said.

Ilenikhena’s wife, Savannah Ilenikhena, was also charged with loan fraud and theft between $10,000 and $100,000, and three counts of forgery, in a case that mirrored his, court records show. Her Monday hearing was continued until March 20.