CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- Seven Chicago-area residents have been indicted on federal charges for allegedly fraudulently obtaining at least $16 million in small business loans and grants from COVID relief funds, according to the U.S. Attorney's office.
Maja Nikolic, 34, of Brookfield, Marko Nikolic, 34, of La Grange, Nebojsa Simeonovic, 37, of Lyons, Mijalo Stanisic, 33, of Willowbrook, Branko Aleksik, 33, of Chicago, Milica Sumakovic, 31, of Chicago, and Dorde Todorovic, 32, of Chicago were all charged with wire fraud and money laundering.
The defendants submitted fraudulent applications to the Small Business Administration in 2020 in which they claimed to own and operate various businesses in Illinois and Florida, according to the indictment.
The SBA then awarded $16 million in COVID-19 Economic Injury Disaster lonas and grants to the defendants. Arraignments in federal court in Chicago have not yet been scheduled.
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