PEORIA, Ill. – A trial for the former developers of the Hotel Pere Marquette is set to begin Monday.
Chief U.S. District Judge Sara Darrow is overseeing the case against Gary Matthews and Monte Brannan at the Peoria County Courthouse.
The two men were indicted in December 2020 on charges of money laundering and mail fraud.
Charges allege the pair took $750,000 from the Pere Marquette after it went into foreclosure.
A loan to the Peoria hotel left the city on the hook for $7 million after foreclosure.
In 2019, Matthews and Brannan sued Peoria’s City Hall regarding their case, but the lawsuit was dropped.
If convicted, Matthews and Brannan could face up to two decades in prison.
