The Brief
- A 29-year-old Addison man was sentenced to 78 months in prison for a $3.3 million COVID-relief fraud scheme.
- Prosecutors say he submitted false loan applications and collected unemployment benefits while working.
- Fraud proceeds were used to buy luxury vehicles, which were later seized.
CHICAGO – A suburban Chicago man has been sentenced for fraudulently obtaining millions in pandemic relief funds.
Francesco Distefano, 29, of west suburban Addison, was sentenced last week to 78 months — six and a half years — in federal prison after pleading guilty to wire fraud, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois.
The backstory:…