July 10, 2026/

Illinois Quick Hits: Carbondale store owner sentenced for SNAP fraud

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By Jim Talamonti | The Center Square
The Center Square

(The Center Square) – A Carbondale store owner has been sentenced to nearly four years in prison after he admitted to fraudulently acquiring Supplemental Nutrition Assistant Program benefits.

Dean Amley, 61, pleaded guilty in March 2025 to conspiracy to commit food stamp fraud, unauthorized acquisition of SNAP benefits, and money laundering.

In addition to 46 months in prison and three years of supervised release, Amley was ordered to pay $564,936 in restitution.

ILLINOIS MEDICAID CUSTOMERS TO RECEIVE MIDWIFE SERVICES

The Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services has launched licensed, certified midwife services for Illinois Medicaid customers.

The new provider type will allow midwives to provide service in home and birth center settings.

FORMER IDPH DIRECTOR JOINS MAINE SENATE RACE

Former Illinois public health director Nirav Shah has thrown his name into the list of potential candidates to replace former Maine U.S. Senate candidate Graham Platner.

Shah served as director of the IDPH under former Gov. Bruce Rauner and would serve alongside Sen. Tammy Duckworth, who was adamant about Shah resigning after what Duckworth said was a poorly-handled response to an outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease.

Sean Reed contributed to this story

DEERE SETTLEMENT ANNOUNCED

In a settlement agreement to a lawsuit filed by Illinois, Wisconsin and three other states, Deere and Co. has agreed to provide farmers and independent repair shops access to the same equipment repair resources and software capabilities as authorized retailers for the next 10 years.

The lawsuit claimed the company unfairly prevented farmers and independent repair shops the ability to repair John Deere tractors and farm equipment.

The Federal Trade Commission joined the states in the lawsuit and will oversee the settlement agreement.

Jon Styf contributed to this story

JOHNSON ANNOUNCES CHA APPOINTMENTS

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson has announced three appointments to the Chicago Housing Authority board.

John Bartlett previously served as executive director of the Metropolitan Tenants Organization. Hipolito (Paul) Roldan is founder and CEO of the Hispanic Housing Development Corp.. Ramona Westbrook is president and founder of Brook Architecture.

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