2 New Lenox Residents Charged With Financial Crimes: Sheriff

New Lenox IL

18 May, 2022

11:19 AM

Description

NEW LENOX, IL — The Will County Sheriff's Office, with the assistance of federal and state law enforcement agencies, arrested a pair of New Lenox residents on separate charges related to financial institution fraud, according to a Facebook post Tuesday by the WCSO. Mays Abuhattab, 36, of New Lenox, was charged with structuring for trying to cause JP Morgan Chase to fail to make a record as required by the Currency Report Act, police said. Abuhattab made separate deposits on Sept. 1, 2021, into her JP Morgan Chase Bank account and then made a wire transfer for $77,000 on Sept. 8, 2021, to the Bank of Palestine, according to police. Abuhattab was also charged with money laundering for conducting a series of financial transactions and knew those transactions represented the proceeds of a felony, according to police. An arrest warrant was issued Monday for Abuhattab in the amount of $1,500,000. Eddie Wood, 39, of New Lenox, was arrested for continuing financial crimes enterprise involving multiple offenses of financial institution fraud, according to police. In one of the fraud charges, Wood is accused of making three wire transfers within an 18-month period involving Old Plank Trail Bank that totaled $95,000, knowing that there were insufficient funds to cover any of the wires issued, police said. In another count of continuing financial crimes enterprise for three more separate offenses of financial institution fraud within an 18-month period involving Old Plank Trail Bank, Wood again initiated three wire transfers that totaled $380,000 knowing that there were insufficient funds to cover any of the wires issued, according to police. Wood was also charged with two more counts of financial institution fraud for purchasing a cashier's check for $33,086.30 to buy a 2021 GMC Yukon and for purchasing another cashier's check for $100,000 knowing that there was insufficient funds to honor the checks, according to police. An arrest warrant was issued Monday for Wood in the amount of $1,500,000. "The crimes that these individuals committed are not violent, but they are destructive nonetheless," said Will County Sheriff Mike Kelley. "Due to hard work, determination, and attention to detail, these three individuals will no longer be able to live a lavish lifestyle and are behind bars. "This is just another example of how hard our financial crimes detectives work. I would also like to thank the members of the United States Secret Service and the Illinois Department of Revenue for their assistance in this investigation." Both Abuhattab and Wood are in the Will County Adult Detention Facility and are awaiting an initial court appearance, according to police.