Chicago man committed COVID-relief fraud while on bond for firearm charge: DOJ says

A Chicago man was sentenced to more than five years in prison on a gun charge and for lying to get nearly $21,000 in federal aid meant to assist small businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Justice Department said. 

Tyjuan Lighthall, 25, was riding in a vehicle in January 2019 when he was caught with a firearm with an extended magazine he illegally purchased for $400 in Indiana, federal prosecutors said. Being a previously convicted felon prohibited him from having the weapon. 

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In April 2021, while out on bail, he applied for a loan under the CARES Act. Lighthall told a lender that he was the owner of a business called “Tyjaun Lighthall,” which purportedly did business under the name “Infinite 5 Creations LLC.”

The business didn’t exist, authorities said. After the loan was approved, the lender deposited $20,833 into Lighthall’s bank account. 

Lighthall pleaded guilty earlier this year to the firearm charge and admitted that he also engaged in the COVID-relief fraud. A judge sentenced him to 63 months in prison last week.