Joliet Teen Claimed $100K Revenue Running Taxi Service: Prosecutors

JOLIET, IL — Donta Bailey, a Joliet 18-year-old from the 300 block of Union Street, was arrested last week by Joliet police in connection with allegations he defrauded the Small Business Administration's CARES Act during the early part of April 2021.

Bailey was put into the Will County Jail last Wednesday and his bail was set at $500,000 by Judge Art Smigielski. Bailey is being charged with two counts of theft by deception, loan fraud, wire fraud and state benefits fraud.

Bailey was 17 years old when Joliet police said he committed the fraud, but he is being charged as an adult. Bailey's criminal complaint states that he secured a Paycheck Protection Program loan of $20,802 as part of the CARES Act having "knowingly employed deception in that he ... delivered an application for a Paycheck Protection Program loan in the amount of $20,802 in which (Bailey) represented that his business, a taxi service, had gross revenues of $99,856 for the year 2019 when the defendant knew that such representation was false."

The criminal complaint states that the Small Business Administration did in fact provide Bailey with a check of $20,802.

Joliet Patch has written several articles this month in connection with Joliet residents now being charged with PPP loan fraud. Here are some of the other cases:

• More PPP Scam Loan Arrests By Joliet Police: $1M Bail For This Man
• PPP Loan Fraud In Joliet Leads To 5 Felonies: JPD