ATTORNEY GENERAL RAOUL ANNOUNCES SENTENCE, RESTITUTION FOR COOK COUNTY MAN IN U.S. SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION THEFT CASE

ATTORNEY GENERAL RAOUL ANNOUNCES SENTENCE, RESTITUTION FOR COOK COUNTY MAN IN U.S. SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION THEFT CASE

May 08, 2024

Chicago - Attorney General Kwame Raoul announced that a Cook County man the Attorney General's office prosecuted was sentenced to probation and ordered to pay restitution for theft from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA).

Vincent Duenes, 24, of Chicago, pleaded guilty to Class 2 felony theft. Cook County Circuit Court Judge James Novy sentenced Duenes to two years of probation and 100 days in the Cook County Sheriff's Work Alternative Program. Duenes was also ordered to pay $60,000 in restitution to the SBA.

"This sentence recoups taxpayer funds for the Small Business Administration, which provides important support to businesses in Illinois and across the nation," Raoul said. "I am committed to ensuring that individuals are held accountable for exploiting government programs for personal gain."

According to Raoul's office, Duenes fraudulently submitted Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) applications to the SBA using his own personal identifying information and the personal information of his friends. The SBA issued EIDL funds totaling $60,000 in response to Duenes' false applications.

The FBI investigated the case with assistance from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Illinois.

Assistant Attorney General Samantha Cain prosecuted the case for Raoul's Special Prosecutions Bureau.