Woodridge woman pleads guilty to fraudulently receiving $28,000 in loans during pandemic: prosecutors

A Woodridge woman has plead guilty to fraudulently applying for and receiving a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan and an Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) totaling about $28,408 during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul’s office. — A Woodridge woman has pleaded guilty to fraudulently applying for and receiving a Paycheck Protection Program loan and an Economic Injury Disaster Loan totaling about $28,408 during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul’s office.

Raoul prosecuted Candice Brumfield, 35, who pleaded guilty to one count of theft, according to a news release.

Brumfield paid $5,000 in restitution up front and DuPage County Circuit Court Judge Mia McPherson sentenced Brumfield to pay $27,175 in remaining restitution. Brumfield also must complete two years of second-chance probation, according to the release.

“Loans from the Small Business Administration were vital for the survival of countless small businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic. It is egregious anyone, especially a government employee, would take advantage of these programs for their own financial benefit,” Raoul said in the release.

Brumfield worked for the Illinois Department of Employment Security in April 2021 when she fraudulently applied for and received a PPP loan of more than $20,000 under the business name “Candice Brumfield,” authorities said.

Brumfield applied for and received loan forgiveness in November 2021 for the loan. She also allegedly submitted false statements in a July 2020 application to receive an EIDL, resulting in her receiving more than $8,000 for another business named “Sassy Hands,” according to the release.

Raoul’s office prosecuted the case with DuPage County State’s Attorney Bob Berlin’s office.

“Ms. Brumfield’s greed knew no bounds,” Berlin said in the release. “At a time when the entire country was reeling from a global pandemic and businesses were going under, she took that opportunity to line her pockets at the expense of legitimate businesses just trying to stay afloat. She enjoyed the luxury of a state job, which afforded her some financial insulation from the pandemic, while countless others saw their dreams disappear.”