NORMAL, Ill. (WMBD) — A Hanna City man is allegedly behind a multi-year scheme that bilked a Normal company out of about $250,000.
Jason Simerly, 51, was indicted on April 8 by a McLean County grand jury on charges of theft, money laundering, identity theft and continuing a financial crimes enterprise.
The case was a direct indictment, said State’s Attorney Ericka Reynolds, which means Simerly never appeared in court before he was charged.
He was arrested by Normal police on April 8, according to officials with the police department, capping a 10-month investigation. Simerly then appeared in court on April 14, where he was put on pretrial release pending the outcome of the allegations.
None of those charges is detainable under the new rules imposed a few years ago by the SAFE-T Act.
Prosecutors, however, can ask a judge to put special conditions on a person’s release, which doesn’t appear to have been done in his case, according to online court records.
Simerly will next appear in court in early June for a pretrial conference. A trial date has not yet been set, according to online records.
Premium Loaves, which owns and operates Jimmy John’s stores in the area, is the alleged victim.
The charges don’t contain much detail but according to the counts and to Normal Police, it appears he’s accused of using the identities of former employees to cause Premium Loaves, Inc. to issue checks to him.
The money, the charges and Normal police allege, went into his bank account. Simerly allegedly committed these acts from July 2024 until April 2025, which is the 18 months alleged in the continuing financial crimes enterprise charge.
All the counts carry a possible 15-year prison term at the high end. Probation is also an option.
It’s not clear from the charges if Simerly is accused of bilking a specific store or the company itself. Premium Loaves owns multiple stores, according to its website. It’s also not clear how he was connected to the company.
Reynolds declined to comment on the matter, citing a pending matter. So did officials with the Normal Police Department. WMBD has asked for the police report and will update the story when possible.
WMBD TV first reported on this story. The original story can be found online at CIProud.com.
