Illinois quick hits: Record hotel tax revenues reported; grocer sentenced for SNAP, WIC fraud

Illinois quick hits: Record hotel tax revenues reported; grocer sentenced for SNAP, WIC fraud

August 26, 2025/
Spread the love

By Jim Talamonti | The Center Square
The Center Square

Record hotel tax revenues reported

Illinois tourism numbers for 2024 saw an all-time high for hotel tax revenue.

The Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity’s Office of Tourism announced the state welcomed 113 million domestic and international visitors who spent more than $48 billion.

Total hotel tax revenue came in at $367 million, a 14% increase from the previous year.

Grocer sentenced for SNAP, WIC fraud

The owner of a Chicago grocery store has been sentenced to three and a half years in federal prison for fraudulently redeeming millions of dollars in benefits under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children.

Yousef Abu Alhawa, 50, of Lockport was also ordered to pay $8.9 million in restitution to the U.S. Treasury, the Internal Revenue Service, and the state of Illinois.

Alhawa pleaded guilty to wire fraud and tax charges last year.

Meth dealers sentenced

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Illinois has announced sentences for eight methamphetamine dealers in Effingham County and indictments for three other individuals accused of drug distribution.

Prison sentences of those convicted range from 60 to 144 months.

Leave a Comment





Latest News Stories

Congressional committee to hold hearing in Houston after ICE fatal shootings

Congressional committee to hold hearing in Houston after ICE fatal shootings

By Bethany BlankleyThe Center Square A congressional field hearing is scheduled for the end of the month in Texas to address the fatal shooting of a Mexican national by U.S....
Feds: Chicago is key in trade fraud fight

Feds: Chicago is key in trade fraud fight

By Jim Talamonti | The Center SquareThe Center Square (The Center Square) – Federal officials came to Illinois this week to announce the results of a major crackdown on trade...
Democrats tank advance of national defense bill in U.S. Senate

Democrats tank advance of national defense bill in U.S. Senate

By Thérèse BoudreauxThe Center Square U.S. Senate Democrats blocked a critical Pentagon funding authorization bill from advancing Tuesday, a show of rebellion against the Trump administration resuming military hostilities in...
Illinois Quick Hits: State officials launch court user survey

Illinois Quick Hits: State officials launch court user survey

By Jim Talamonti | The Center SquareThe Center Square (The Center Square) – The Illinois Supreme Court and the Illinois Judicial Conference announced on Tuesday a statewide circuit court user...
Former CBO chief: Congress isn't grappling with AI's fiscal impact

Former CBO chief: Congress isn’t grappling with AI’s fiscal impact

By Brett RowlandThe Center Square Former Congressional Budget Office Director Douglas Elmendorf says he's seen no sign Congress is grappling with AI's effect on federal taxes and spending, even as...
GOP hardliners lift U.S. House blockade, challenges remain

GOP hardliners lift U.S. House blockade, challenges remain

By Thérèse BoudreauxThe Center Square A group of Republican hardliners in the U.S. House finally lifted its blockade of the floor, allowing a critical national security funding bill to advance...
U.S. House passes 10 bills to strengthen homeland security, address terrorism

U.S. House passes 10 bills to strengthen homeland security, address terrorism

By Bethany BlankleyThe Center Square The U.S. House has passed 10 bipartisan bills advanced by the U.S. House Committee on Homeland Security, which the committee says will strengthen homeland security...
Gulf lawmakers aim to extend state borders to 9 miles offshore

Gulf lawmakers aim to extend state borders to 9 miles offshore

By Alton WallaceThe Center Square A bipartisan coalition of Gulf Coast lawmakers is pushing to change a 73-year-old law that limits their states' maritime boundaries to 3 miles offshore, potentially...
Ongoing border security prosecution efforts: 23 extraditions in one month

Ongoing border security prosecution efforts: 23 extraditions in one month

By Bethany BlankleyThe Center Square Border-crime related prosecutions are ongoing with extraditions playing a key role in prosecutions. The latest extradition to Texas was the 23rd in one month, FBI...
Graham: Man of great faith, fierce fighter for South Carolina, America

Graham: Man of great faith, fierce fighter for South Carolina, America

By Alan WootenThe Center Square From colleagues in both major parties to leaders of foreign nations, appreciation for the public service of U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham has been overwhelming since...
$424.9M considered for projects at Fire stadium questioned

$424.9M considered for projects at Fire stadium questioned

By Jim Talamonti | The Center SquareThe Center Square (The Center Square) – The Chicago City Council may vote Wednesday on deals to spend $424.9 million of tax increment financing...
Multi-state lawsuit challenges $1B in federal education grant cuts

Multi-state lawsuit challenges $1B in federal education grant cuts

By Elyse ApelThe Center Square Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel has joined with 14 other attorneys general on a lawsuit attempting to stop the U.S. Department of Education from cutting...
Supreme Court justices defend $225 million budget request

Supreme Court justices defend $225 million budget request

By Andrew RiceThe Center Square U.S. Supreme Court Justices Elena Kagan and Amy Coney Barrett made a rare appearance before lawmakers on Tuesday to defend the high court’s $225.1 million...
Election 2026: Cooper steps away from responsibility of historic prison release

Election 2026: Cooper steps away from responsibility of historic prison release

By Alan WootenThe Center Square U.S. Senate candidate Roy Cooper, whose name was on a lawsuit against the NAACP that ended in 2021, on Monday took a clear step away...
Illinois congressman pushes to repeal federal tax cuts

Illinois congressman pushes to repeal federal tax cuts

By Sean Reed | The Center SquareThe Center Square (The Center Square) – A Democrat Illinois congressman sparked pushback after urging fellow Democrats to repeal all aspects of President Donald...