CHICAGO — This is an official press release from the U.S. Department of Justice (USAO - Illinois, Northern), published as received.

CHICAGO – A federal grand jury in Chicago has indicted three men for allegedly orchestrating a scheme to fraudulently open credit cards in the names of recently deceased individuals.  Two of the men—brothers from suburban Chicago—are also charged with fraudulently obtaining small business loans under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (“CARES”) Act and falsely claiming tax credits to which they were not entitled.

In the alleged credit card fraud, ROOSEVELT GARRETT and his brother, TORIENCE GARRETT, schemed with FRANKLIN SIMMONS to fraudulently obtain credit cards in the names of recently deceased individuals, including two former residents of Illinois, according to an indictment returned in the Northern District of Illinois.  After using the deceased individuals’ personal identifying information to obtain the cards, the Garretts and Simmons made purchases for themselves and did not repay the credit card companies, the indictment states.  The Garretts and Simmons also charged the cards to purported business entities that they controlled, allowing them to convert the credit card fraud proceeds to cash, the indictment states.

The indictment also alleges that the Garretts engaged in fraud related to the Economic Injury Disaster Loan program (EIDL)—a source of relief under the CARES Act.  The indictment alleges that in June 2020, the Garretts submitted two fraudulent applications for EIDL loans on behalf of business entities that they purportedly owned and operated.  The applications contained materially false statements and misrepresentations about the purported entities, including the number of employees and gross revenues, the indictment states.  The Garretts allegedly used the EIDL funds to make cash withdrawals and transfers for their personal use and not for the operations of the purported entities.

The tax charges accuse the Garretts of misstating in corporate tax returns the number of employees of the purported entities they controlled and the wages allegedly paid by those companies.  Additionally, Simmons fraudulently underreported to the IRS the income he derived from a purported entity he controlled and which he used in connection with the fraudulent credit card scheme, the indictment states.

The indictment charges Roosevelt Garrett, 57, of Itasca, Ill., with four counts of wire fraud, three counts of mail fraud, four counts of filing false corporate tax returns, and one count of failing to file an individual tax return.  Torience Garrett, 53, of Bolingbrook, Ill., is charged with four counts of wire fraud, three counts of mail fraud, four counts of filing false corporate tax returns, and one count of money laundering.  Simmons, 64, of Chicago, is charged with three counts of wire fraud, three counts of mail fraud, and two counts of filing a false individual tax return.

The defendants were arraigned in federal court in Chicago and pleaded not guilty to the charges.  A status hearing is scheduled for Oct. 22, 2025, before U.S. District Judge Sharon Johnson Coleman.

The indictment was announced by Andrew S. Boutros, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Adam Jobes, Special Agent-in-Charge of IRS Criminal Investigation in Chicago.  Substantial assistance was provided by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service in Chicago. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Maione.

The public is reminded that an indictment contains only charges and is not evidence of guilt.  The defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

Anyone with information about attempted fraud involving Covid-19 is encouraged to report it to the Department of Justice by calling the National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline at 866-720-5721 or filing an online complaint at https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.