Illinois quick hits: High-risk lead exposure ZIP codes added

High-risk lead exposure ZIP codes added

The Illinois Department of Public Health has announced an expanded list of high-risk ZIP codes, increasing mandatory testing for lead exposure of children who live within those areas.

Representing parts of 60 Illinois counties, 148 new zip codes have been added to the list this year, bringing the total of high-risk ZIP codes to almost 1,200. Under Illinois law, any child residing in a high-risk ZIP code is to be tested automatically at 12, 24, and 36 months.

Man sentenced for fraud

The former CEO of Reditus Laboratories has been sentenced to 5 years in federal prison for defrauding his former employers, Central Illinois Orthopedic Surgery in Bloomington, out of more than $1 million.

The legal troubles for Aaron Rossi, 40, are not over. He also faces charges of healthcare fraud, mail fraud and wire fraud for allegedly defrauding the state of Illinois and public and private health insurance companies out of hundreds of thousands of dollars during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Woman charged in psychic scam

A woman who offered psychic readings in Lake View is accused of stealing thousands of dollars from a client. Jennifer Williams, 51, pleaded not guilty to a felony charge of theft by deception Tuesday.

In 2021, Williams allegedly convinced a California woman she was cursed and offered to “cleanse away curses” for large sums of money totaling over $70,000 over the course of four months.