Cook County watchdog says four employees fraudulently collected federal pandemic loans – Chicago Tribune/MSN

Four Cook County employees committed “financial fraud directed at the federal government” by wrongly collecting roughly $120,000 in payroll protection plan loans intended to help businesses survive the pandemic, according to a new report from the county’s inspector general. The employees were not named in the report, but it noted that three work in offices under Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle that handle sensitive financial matters, while a fourth works at the county’s Board of Review.