PEORIA — Two former employees of a DeWitt County marine dealership have been charged in federal court in Peoria as part of a $2 million fraud investigation by the FBI, state and local authorities.

Jeffrey D. Gibbs, 55, of Farmer City, and Kara M. Wilkey, 45, of Maroa appeared in Illinois Central District Federal Court on Dec. 18 facing multiple charges of fraud by wire, radio or television, bank fraud, mail fraud and fraud with identification documents (aggravated identity theft). Officials filed the charges on Dec. 15.

The indictment charges the pair, as former employees of the marine dealership in Weldon and in East Peoria, with defrauding their employer, dealership customers and banks of more than $2 million during a period from Jan. 2014-July 2019. 

Gibbs is a former candidate for DeWitt County Board.  In 2014, he joined some of the then DeWitt County Board members in criticizing the private management of the Clinton Lake marina during a period when board leadership sought to break the county’s contract with the management company.  Their effort was not successful.

Gibbs and Wilkey, if convicted, face a maximum penalty for each of the nine counts of wire fraud and two counts of mail fraud of up to 20 years in prison.  The maximum penalty for each of the counts of bank fraud is up to 30 years in prison, and for each of the three counts of aggravated identity theft up to two years in prison.