By Jim Talamonti | The Center Square
The Center Square

(The Center Square) – With assistance from the U.S. Marshals Service, Illinois State Police special agents arrested a man accused of fatally shooting a Granite City woman last year.

Authorities say Jamya Dukes, 22, was hospitalized with a gunshot wound on April 1 and later pronounced dead.

Corey C. Ayers, 30, of East St. Louis was identified as the suspect after an extensive investigation.

Ayers was arrested on Monday and charged with first degree murder.

WIC FRAUD SENTENCING

A federal judge has sentenced the owner of several Chicago-area convenience stores to four years in prison and ordered him to pay more than $8.8 million in restitution for scheming to defraud a low-income food program.

Prosecutors say Hassan Abdellatif, 37, of Chicago, schemed with eight other convenience store owners or workers in the Chicago area to fraudulently redeem checks from the Women, Infants, and Children program, a federally funded initiative for low-income children and pregnant, breastfeeding and post-partum women.

Eight other defendants pleaded guilty and are awaiting sentencing.

ILLINOIS PRODUCT EXPO

The Illinois Product Expo returns this weekend at a new location.

For 27 years, the event has showcased Illinois-made food products. This year’s event will be Saturday and Sundayat the Expo Building on the Illinois State Fairgrounds in Springfield.

The Illinois Department of Agriculture says the product expo outgrew its former location at the Orr Building.