Margaret A. Davis, Mail Fraud and Money Laundering, Illinois 2013

Scandal Rocks Chicago Black Nurses Association

Springfield, Ill. – Margaret A. Davis, the former director of the Chicago Chapter of the National Black Nurses Association, has been sentenced to 41 months in prison for her role in a scheme that defrauded state grant programs of at least $377,573 from 2005 to 2009.

Davis, 62, pleaded guilty on February 27, 2013, to mail fraud and money laundering. Her accomplice, Tonja Cook, the former treasurer, was sentenced to 19 months in prison for her role in the scheme.

The scheme involved the commingling and conversion of grant funds for Davis’s personal use, as well as the use of the funds to support a not-for-profit healthcare advocacy organization controlled by Davis, the African American AIDS Network.

From December 2005 to June 2009, Davis solicited and received 15 different grants and contracts totaling $1,062,000 on behalf of the Chicago Chapter of the Black Nurses Association from Illinois state agencies.

The grants were purportedly to provide funds for various healthcare advocacy-related and nursing student assistance programs.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy A. Bass prosecuted the case on behalf of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of Illinois. The investigation was conducted by participating agencies of the Central District of Illinois’ U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Public Corruption Task Force.

Individuals who wish to provide information to law enforcement regarding matters of public corruption are urged to call the U.S. Attorney’s Office at 217-492-4450.

Davis was ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $377,573, while Cook was ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $137,111.

Both women were ordered to report to the federal Bureau of Prisons on January 2, 2014.

The scheme resulted in a significant loss to the state of Illinois and highlights the need for transparency and accountability in public grant programs.

The case serves as a reminder of the importance of holding public officials and organizations accountable for their actions.

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