Contracting is probably the best bet for short-term cash. Lower risk and less reason to check background. If you get contacts from this post but they are hesit

Contracting is probably the best bet for short-term cash. Lower risk and less reason to check background. If you get contacts from this post but they are hesitant, consider offering to set up an LLC in your wife’s name (assuming the cost in Illinois is not prohibitive). There are probably a few startups or smaller businesses willing to give you a shot given your experience, but given the history they might need the plausible deniability of an abstraction layer.