Illinois quick hits: Foreign national indicted for fraud; Chicago Public Schools budget approved

Illinois quick hits: Foreign national indicted for fraud; Chicago Public Schools budget approved

August 29, 2025/
Spread the love

By Jim Talamonti | The Center Square
The Center Square

Foreign national indicted for fraud

A foreign national has been indicted in U.S. District Court in Chicago for allegedly defrauding numerous individuals out of at least $2.6 million and willfully evading income taxes.

Jawad Fakroune, 45, also known by “Angelino Escobar” and other names, is facing 15 federal counts of wire fraud and tax-related charges.

Chicago Public Schools budget approved

The Chicago Board of Education has adopted a $10.2 billion budget for Fiscal Year 2026.

The board voted 12-7 to approve the spending plan, which did not include a high-interest loan favored by Mayor Brandon Johnson and the Chicago Teachers Union.

Former chancellor dies

Former University of Illinois Chancellor Michael Aiken has died at the age of 93.

Aiken served as the school’s sixth chancellor from 1993 to 2001. U of I officials said he died Monday in Cody, Wyoming.

Leave a Comment





Latest News Stories

Federal judge orders halt to National Guard deployment in DC

Federal judge orders halt to National Guard deployment in DC

By Andrew RiceThe Center Square A federal judge in the District of Columbia ordered the Trump administration to end its deployment of the National Guard in the nation's capital. Judge...
Consumer group files amicus brief on behalf of NRA’s petition to Supreme Court

Consumer group files amicus brief on behalf of NRA’s petition to Supreme Court

By Tate MillerThe Center Square Consumers’ Research says consumers must be protected from government officials who abuse their power as it filed an amicus brief in support of the National...
Report links Minnesota welfare fraud to terrorist funding

Report links Minnesota welfare fraud to terrorist funding

By Elyse ApelThe Center Square New reports allege that millions of taxpayer dollars have been fraudulently stolen from the Minnesota welfare system and then sent to the Somali-based terror group...
White House denies Trump wants to execute 'seditious' Dem lawmakers

White House denies Trump wants to execute ‘seditious’ Dem lawmakers

By Thérèse BoudreauxThe Center Square Despite several social media posts that seem to suggest the contrary, President Donald Trump does not want to execute Democratic members of Congress for “seditious...
IL GOP U.S. Senate candidate says state needs balanced representation

IL GOP U.S. Senate candidate says state needs balanced representation

By Greg Bishop | The Center SquareThe Center Square (The Center Square) – Despite having to push through a potentially crowded primary field, Republican U.S. Senate candidate Don Tracy says...
Wheat price drop brings notable Thanksgiving savings for Illinois families

Wheat price drop brings notable Thanksgiving savings for Illinois families

By Catrina Barker | The Center Square contributorThe Center Square (The Center Square) – Illinois families will see some relief at the Thanksgiving table this year, with the average cost...
Illinois lawmaker calls FDA hormone therapy reversal ‘overdue’

Illinois lawmaker calls FDA hormone therapy reversal ‘overdue’

By Catrina Barker | The Center Square contributorThe Center Square (The Center Square) – An Illinois lawmaker and practicing physician weighs said U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F....
September jobs report adds 119,000, steady unemployment

September jobs report adds 119,000, steady unemployment

By Andrew RiceThe Center Square The delayed release of a September report on the labor market appeared to defy expectations. The report showed employers added 119,000 jobs in September, a...
Indicted Florida congresswoman leaves committee leadership post

Indicted Florida congresswoman leaves committee leadership post

By Merrilee GasserThe Center Square U.S. Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick of Florida, indicted on charges of stealing $5 million in federal disaster funds and using some of it for her campaign,...
Existing home sales up 1.2% in October

Existing home sales up 1.2% in October

By Brett RowlandThe Center Square Sales of existing homes climbed 1.2% in October, according to a report released Thursday by the National Association of Realtors. The 1.2% increase in existing-home...
Chip Roy calls for full pause on all U.S. immigration

Chip Roy calls for full pause on all U.S. immigration

By Andrew RiceThe Center Square U.S. Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, is proposing a freeze to legal immigration admissions and visa issuances until the federal government addresses changes to the immigration...
Prosecutors defend indictment in Comey case after defense questions

Prosecutors defend indictment in Comey case after defense questions

By Brett RowlandThe Center Square Prosecutors defended how they presented the criminal case against former FBI boss James Comey to a grand jury after defense attorneys said the indictment failed...
IL Rep on congressmen trading: 'We're not going to take a pile of money to hell'

IL Rep on congressmen trading: ‘We’re not going to take a pile of money to hell’

By Jim TalamontiThe Center Square An Illinois congresswoman says the public is right to be alarmed about elected officials enriching themselves through insider trading. The U.S. House Administration Committee held...
House axes provision letting senators sue over data surveillance

House axes provision letting senators sue over data surveillance

By Thérèse BoudreauxThe Center Square The U.S. House has repealed a section in the recently-passed government funding bill that would have allowed individual senators to sue the federal government for...
DoEd’s six new agency partnerships will give parents freedom, break up bureaucracy

DoEd’s six new agency partnerships will give parents freedom, break up bureaucracy

By Tate MillerThe Center Square An education organization is applauding the U.S. Department of Education’s six new agency partnerships announced this week, stating that parents will have more control over...