The owner of stores in Winchester and Chandlerville is facing felony charges claiming he defrauded the state out of more than $100,000 in sales tax revenue.
Federal bank and wire fraud charges have been unveiled against a Saint Augustine man. 64-year-old Michael L. Patch is accused of falsifying receipts and financial documents to take advantage of government COVID-19 relief programs like PPP and Economic Injury Disaster Loans. The indictment was unsealed in court Friday as Patch made his initial appearance. Patch was the owner and operator of the now-defunct restaurant, Vernon Street Grill, in Farmington. The Department of Justice says around April 2020, and that Patch knowingly provided loan documents to obtain the loans. If Patch is convicted the maximum penalty is 30 years in prison, a $250,000 fine. That's just for the bank fraud charge. Patch also faces 20 years and $250,000 for each of three wire fraud charges. The case was investigated by the Illinois Department of Revenue Criminal Investigations and Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation.