Prime Time Restaurant Hosts Benefit for Conrady Jr. High Teacher

HICKORY HILLS, IL -- A benefit/fundraiser is being planned on Jan. 18 for Conrady Jr High teachers Megan Patti Hunt and her husband Matt. The benefit will be held Friday, Jan. 18, at Prime Time, 7750 95th St, Hickory Hills. Food for the benefit is being donated by owner Billy Les. Funds raised for this event will help offset some attorney fees.

A little background: Megan and Matt should have moved into their forever home in July . They had been talking about it for months and excitedly planning on sharing Christmas’s there with their families.

Instead, they showed up to their closing and were told the loan company had never received the money they wired on July 27, 2018. The couple had close to $90,000 invested into this home that is now all gone. Turns out they were involved in a mortgage wire scam. The loan company was hacked and the hacker got all the details regarding Megan and Matt’s loan. They then emailed Megan and Matt that day with false details for wiring the money. Even though the FBI and and bank were informed immediately the money was traced back to an already emptied account.

Megan and Matt are both teachers that got married last September. The next step in their lives was building their dream home. They saved every penny they earned and lived frugally, so they could keep chipping away at it. You have no idea how many times we’ve heard Megan say “Matt and I are trying to save money so not sure if we can go.”

They were both working side jobs, from tutoring to coaching, everything was going into this home. If they weren’t working, tutoring, or coaching they were refurbishing old furniture to save every penny on move in expenses. Aside from a home, their next step was trying to start a family. Stress from saving for the wedding, then to saving for the home, and now an event like this has put major strain on the both of them and made this process even more difficult.

It’s incredibly heartbreaking to see two hardworking, deserving people looking forward to moving into their dream home - only to get scammed and lose everything they worked hard for. None of the companies involved are taking responsibility for the crime and left Megan and Matt to get a lawyer to get justice, but it’s incredibly unlikely they'll recover their money. And paying for a lawyer brings about more debt. Thankfully, Megan’s parents have given them a place to stay, but it only makes sense short term.

The following is a statement made by Megan & Matt (reprinted with their permission):

"Of course, this road has not been easy for us. It has completely changed our marriage and consumes our lives. We cry a lot more often, smile a lot less, hug a few seconds longer, and wonder how this could have possibly happened every second of every day. There is nothing more demoralizing than having everything you worked for taken away. We lived frugally, took on multiple extra jobs, and sacrificed a honeymoon and many events to save every penny that we could. We did everything we were supposed to do and the system FAILED US. I continue to wonder how these people can rest their heads at night knowing what they did, knowing they took everything away from two innocent hardworking people. Our dream has been crushed, and I am quickly losing faith that justice will prevail.

Please, we ask not let this story die and be forgotten. We need people to stand up to these big companies, who will do anything for a pretty penny. We need to inform those around us of what might be lurking after them. We need to stop criminals from ruining innocent peoples’ lives. We are so unprotected and it is shameful. Please share to make sure this does not happen to anyone anymore."

They hired good attorneys, however, attorney fees are adding up. Megan is a well-liked teacher with a contagious happy personality. She comes to work every day with a smile on her face. Every morning she plays music over the school PA system for the students as they enter the school. Even after the tragic events surrounding her and her husband's attempt to buy a home she still can be heard singing Christmas carols as she walks through the hall of her school.

Please mark on your calendar.
Date: Friday January 18 2019.

Place: Prime Time Bar & Grill
7750 95th St, Hickory Hills
Time : 3:00 pm (Right after work.)
Donation: $25. per person (cash only)
Includes : Food Buffet Donated by Prime Time owner Billy Les.