720 ILCS 5/17-9 – Public Aid Wire and Mail Fraud

720 ILCS 5/17-9 – Public Aid Wire and Mail Fraud

720 ILCS 5/17-9 – Public Aid Wire and Mail Fraud

This law makes it a crime to use phones, mail, or electronic messages to cheat and get public aid money or benefits.

This law says that it is illegal to send or tell someone else to send any message or mail meant to help carry out a plan to steal or wrongly get money or benefits from public aid in Illinois. Breaking this law is a felony.

(a) A person breaks this law if they knowingly do any of the following to help a plan to cheat and get public aid money or benefits:

1. Send or share any message using a phone, wire, radio, or TV within Illinois.
2. Mail or deliver any message or package using the U.S. Postal Service or a private delivery service within Illinois.

(b) A person also breaks this law if they knowingly cause or direct someone else to do any of the following to help a plan to cheat and get public aid money or benefits:

1. Send or share any message using a phone, wire, radio, or TV within Illinois.
2. Mail or deliver any message or package using the U.S. Postal Service or a private delivery service within Illinois.

(c) Sentence: Anyone found guilty under this law commits a Class 4 felony.

View the full statute here.

Contact us online or call (314) 900-HELP to talk with a Southern Illinois criminal defense lawyer.