Mr. Tezna pleaded guilty to one count of bank fraud. Lakisha Swope and Treisha Pearson were charged with conspiracy to defraud the United States, bank fraud, wire fraud, and money laundering. On September 14, 2021, he was sentenced to 32 months in prison. On June 22, 2021, Mr. Hamilton was sentenced to 6 months in prison. The Government alleged that Mr. Shah submitted fraudulent loan applications seeking more than $3 million in COVID-19 relief funds. Frank Hamilton, Michael Jones, Peter An, Edwin Bonilla, Tina Chen, Joseph Greco, Timothy Park, and Kenny Tran were charged with wire fraud conspiracy. The Government alleged Jones submitted fraudulent loan applications obtaining over $85,000 in COVID-19 relief funds. The Government alleged that Mr. Malanga submitted fraudulent loan applications obtaining nearly $2 million in COVID-19 relief funds. On August 30, 2021, Mr. Clark was sentenced to 33 months in prison. The Government alleged that Mr. Johnson through his company Million Man LLC submitted fraudulent loan application to obtain over $2.6 million in COVID-19 relief funds. The Government has dismissed the complaint against Mr. Olugbuyi without prejudice, meaning they may still indict him in the future. The Government alleged that Ms. Abbas submitted fraudulent loan applications and obtained over $37,000 in COVID-19 relief funds to care for individuals with cases of COVID-19. On May 27, 2021, Edvard Paronyan pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit fraud and one count of money laundering. Moon pleaded guilty. 1d ago. The Government alleged that Mr. Yates the sole proprietor of Lone Star Tuning submitted fraudulent loan applications obtaining approximately $5,700,000.00 in COVD-19 relief funds. Moon submitted fraudulent loan applications on behalf of sixteen businesses seeking over $2 million in COVID-19 relief funds. The case was brought in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Andre McBreairty was charged with false statements. Brittany Shearod was charged with attempt and conspiracy to commit fraud and multiple counts of wire fraud. Lebnitz Tran was charged with six counts of wire fraud and three counts of bank fraud. His trial is set for October 3, 2022. The case was brought in Billings, Montana. On March 10, 2022, Garibyan pleaded guilty to both charges and was sentenced to 3 years of probation on July 21, 2022. The case was brought in Houston, Texas. Yun Jae Moon was charged with conspiracy to defraud the United States. The case was brought in Greensboro, North Carolina. Ms. Miller has pleaded not guilty, and trial is scheduled for December 6, 2022. The case was brought in Dayton, Ohio. On May 6, 2022, Mr. Augustin was sentenced to 78 months in prison. Mr. Moller has a prior conviction for fraud. On January 26, 2021, Mr. Magana pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 41 months in prison on April 18, 2022. Mr. Jalloul pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 120 months in prison on April 21, 2022. Bernard Okojie was charged with conspiracy to commit wire and bank fraud, wire fraud, and money laundering conspiracy. The defendants have pleaded not guilty, and the case is pending. The case was brought in Alexandria, Virginia. Search for PPP loan applications by organization, lender, zip code and business type. Monika Jaworska was charged with conspiracy to commit bank fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Largest PPP Loan Recipients List Nationwide A total of 108,968 businesses across the United States have received Coronavirus-related Paycheck Protection Loans (PPP) loans from the Small Business Administration of the MAXIMUM available amount of $10,000,000 (ten million dollars). Anthony Boncimino was charged with four counts of bank fraud, four counts of money laundering, and six counts of making false statements. Matthews pleaded guilty on May 27, 2022, and is scheduled for sentencing on October 7, 2022. Ioannis Kralievits was charged with one count of conspiracy to commit an offense against the United States. Jae Choi was charged with several counts of bank fraud, making a false statement on a loan application, money laundering, and aggravated identity theft, The Government alleged that Mr. Choi submitted fraudulent loan applications and obtained approximately $9 million in COVID-19 relief funds. David Hines was charged with wire fraud, making false statements to a lending institution, bank fraud, and money laundering. More than 15% of PPP loans had at least one indication of potential fraud. The Government alleged that Rosado submitted fraudulent loan applications through Jai Rosado Consulting LLC obtaining approximately $50,000 in COVID-19 relief funds. Ms. Kirkland pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 33 months in prison. The Government alleged that Mr. Garcia submitted fraudulent loan applications for over $285,000 in COVID-19 relief funds. Ms. Falgoust pleaded guilty to an information on July 22, 2021. Help us crowdsource fraud detection in the PPP program! The case was brought in Ft Lauderdale, Florida. This case was brought in Cleveland, Ohio. On May 12, 2021, Mr. Hines was sentenced to 78 months in prison. The Government alleged that Cartlidge, Redfern, and McMiller were recruited to submit fraudulent loan applications seeking over $2.7 million in COVID-19 relief funds. The case was brought in Columbus, Georgia. The Government alleged that Ms. Duhart submitted fraudulent loan application for her company Hair She Goes, Inc, and obtained approximately $388,790.00 in COVID-19 relief funds. We will contact you as soon as possible if we are able to help. On October 18, 2021, he was sentenced to 10 months probation. On October 27, 2020, Mr. Moller pleaded guilty to one count of bank fraud. On November 15, 2021, he was sentenced to 51 months in prison. The Government alleges that the defendants engaged in a scheme where they obtained other peoples personal identifying information to apply for COVID-19 relief loans, which they obtained for people in exchange for kickbacks. Tiyari Collins and Farah Collins were each charged by separate information with one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States, and Mr. Tiyari was also charged with one count of fraud and false statements based on his filing of fraudulent tax returns. The case was brought in Norfolk, Virginia. Malik Mitchum and Jenna Mitchum were charged with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. The case was brought in Newark, New Jersey and it is currently pending. On December 7, 2020, Mr. Goldstein pleaded guilty. On October 13, 2021, Mr. Blotnick pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud and one count of money laundering. On June 14, 2021, Tamara Dadyan pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud and wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, and money laundering conspiracy. The Government alleged that Ms. Bain submitted fraudulent loan applications for her company Microblading Brow Studio obtaining approximately $17.6 million in COVID-19 relief funds. Recent reports have found that FinTechs and their bank partners handled 75 percent of the approved PPP loans that have been connected to fraud by DOJ, despite facilitating just 15 percent of PPP loans overall. In the Spring of 2020, the Small Business Association ("SBA") began administering the Paycheck Protection Program (the "PPP" or the "Program") to provide SBA-backed loans to help eligible businesses maintain their workforces during the COVID-19 pandemic. On September 14, 2021, Mr. Goldstein was sentenced to 12 months and 1 day in prison. Oumar Sissoko was charged with four counts of wire fraud. The Government alleged that the defendants conspired to submit over 150 fraudulent loan applications seeking almost $22 million in COVID-19 relief funds. Call us or complete the form below. Please cite ProPublica by linking to this page. Contact: newsroom@ci.irs.gov. On July 28, 2021, Mr. Lewis pleaded guilty to mail fraud and he was sentenced to 115 months. The case was brought in Houston, Texas. On July 14, 2021, Mr. Smith was sentenced to 36 months in prison. He was also sentenced on charges of drug trafficking and money laundering in a separate case that same day. Brian Criss was charged with fraud by wire, radio, or television and Bank fraud. The case was brought in Los Angeles, California. The Government alleged that Ms. Okeke, a former bank employee, conspired with another employee to fraudulently obtain over $3 million in COVID-19 relief funds by helping borrowers fill out false loan applications. Around 1.8 million of the PPP's 11.8 million loans showed signs of fraud, according to an academic working paper cited by The New York Times. He was sentenced to 4 years in prison on July 18, 2022. PPP Loan List in Miami Beach, Florida - 6051 Businesses The Government alleged that Mr. Etwaru submitted fraudulent loan applications to obtain approximately $57,750.00 in COVID-19 relief funds. Francis Joseph was charged with theft in connection with healthcare, theft of government funds, wire fraud, and making a false statement in connection with a bankruptcy proceeding. Mr. Hayes was held accountable for obtaining over $240,000. Se Habla Espaol, 101 Marietta Street NWSuite 3300Atlanta, GA 30303(404) 223-3310, 2022 by The Church Law Firm LLC. Vinath Oudomsine was charged with one count of wire fraud. The Government alleged that the father-son duo submitted fraudulent loan applications seeking over $550,000 in COVID-19 relief funds. Teldrin Foster was charged with multiple counts of wire fraud, bank fraud, and attempt and conspiracy to commit fraud. The Government alleged Woods submitted fraudulent loan applications obtaining approximately $92,000 in COVID-19 relief funds. Romean Brown, Tyrek Clarke, Kenneth Desir, Stephan Dorminvil, Kai Heyward, Keith James, Christopher Jean-Pierre, Oneal Marks, Jahriah Olivierre, Roleeke Smith, and Christopher Topey were charged with conspiracy to commit access device fraud and aggravated identity theft. This case was brought in Greenville, South Carolina. Cindi Denton was charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, bank fraud, and conspiracy to attempt to commit wire fraud and bank fraud. Both defendants pleaded guilty on June 24, 2022. All defendants have pled guilty. The Government alleged that Schoepflin and Leon filed fraudulent loan applications seeking over $300,000 in COVID-19 relief funds. Nikia. Mr. Bernardo pleaded guilty on June 14, 2022, and his sentencing date is to be determined. PPP Loan Fraud Investigations Can Have Various . In February His appeal is pending. Mr. Hollis has pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 30 months in prison on March 23, 2022. His sentencing is scheduled for December 16, 2021. The case was brought in Newark, New Jersey. The case was brought in Brunswick, Georgia. Mr. Lewis pleaded guilty to all counts. The Government alleged that the defendants conspired together to submit fraudulent loan applications and obtained over $7 million in COVID-19 relief funds. List of PPP Loan Fraud Cases. The Government alleged that Ms. VanPelt submitted fraudulent loan applications on behalf of six of her companies seeking almost $8 million in COVID-19 relief funds. The case was brought in Atlanta, Georgia. On October 8, 2021, Damion McKenzie pleaded guilty, and he was sentenced to 44 months on January 21, 2022. Blood submitted fraudulent loan applications seeking over $600,000 in COVID-19 relief funds. Her sentencing is scheduled for January 12, 2022. Ana Soto was charged with several counts of wire fraud, false statements on loan applications, and money laundering. The Government alleged Mr. Clark participated in a conspiracy with others that involved submitting fraudulent loan applications seeking a total of $24 million in COVID-19 relief funds. Their sentencing date has not been scheduled at this time. Ms. Williams was sentenced to time served with 6 months home confinement on May 25, 2022. Michael McGee, Jr. was charged with attempt and conspiracy to commit fraud, multiple counts of wire fraud, and interstate commerce. White House Calls for Transparent Investigations After - news.yahoo.com Hashim Campbell was charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and bank fraud. The case was brought in Atlanta, Georgia. Mr. Smith pleaded guilty on July 8, 2022, and his sentencing hearing is scheduled for October 21, 2022. The case was brought in Miami, Florida. Gregory J. Blotnick was charged with eight counts of wire fraud and six counts of money laundering. The case was brought in Seattle, Washington. Curtis and Dereen Porch were charged with three counts of wire fraud and one count of theft of government property. Mr. Kasali was sentenced to 70 months in prison on April 7, 2022. DOJ Targeting PPP Fraud - The National Law Review Justin Etwaru was charged with conspiracy to commit an offense against the United States. On September 20, 2021, Mr. Price pleaded guilty to two counts of wire fraud and three counts of money laundering. The Biden Administration has poured millions of dollars towards resources to ensure that investigations take place and the stolen money is recovered. The Government alleged that Mr. Rivero, a tax preparer, submitted fraudulent loan applications seeking to obtain over 100 loans for $2.3 million in COVID-19 relief funds. Here's a list of the PPP loan prosecutions to date: 1. The Government alleged that Cisternino submitted fraudulent loan applications seeking over $7.2 million in COVID-19 relief funds. PPP Loan Scams: 900 open criminal investigations, 100 arrested - WAVE Tonye Johnson was charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and bank fraud, wire fraud, and bank fraud. The Government alleged that Mr. Bearden submitted fraudulent loan applications seeking about $60,000 in COVID-19 relief funds. The Government alleged that Doss submitted fraudulent loan applications seeking over $220,000 in COVID-19 relief funds. Mr. McBreairty pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 2 years of probation, with the first 6 months to be served on home confinement. Our strategy involves carefully reviewing all relevant loan and financial documents, consulting with forensic accountants and other financial specialists with experience in PPP and EIDL loans, and engaging law enforcement agents and prosecutors early in the process to ensure they have a full picture of the facts helpful to our clients. William Sadleir was charged in two caseshe was charged with wire fraud, making false statements to a bank, bank fraud, and money laundering in the Central District of California on July 17, 2020. On June 4, 2021, Mr. Davis was sentenced to 6 months in prison. The Government alleged that Ms. Miller used other peoples personal identifying information to open bank accounts and submit fraudulent loan applications for over $900,000 in COVID-19 relief funds. On August 13, 2021, Mr. Fiedler was sentenced to 8 months in prison. All cases were brought in Atlanta, Georgia. On November 11, 2021, Mr. Montgomery pleaded guilty, but the terms of his plea are under seal, and he is scheduled for sentencing on September 29, 2022. The case was brought in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Government alleged Mr. Hollis knowingly devised and participated in a scheme to defraud the State of Georgia, the Department of Labor, and the United States to obtain money. On July 13, 2021, Ms. Walker was sentenced to 12 months and 1 day in prison. The Government also alleged that after Rabbitts businesses received the loans, Aguilar created fake payroll companies and accepted checks from Rabbitts businesses indicating that they were for payroll purposes. The case was brought in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. All rights reserved. The Government alleged that Mr. Robinson submitted fraudulent loan applications through his corporation ATeam LV, LLC obtaining approximately $1,502,270.00 in COVID-19 relief funds. The case was brought in Fort Lauderdale. Andrew Marnell was charged with several counts of bank fraud and money laundering. Michael DiMassa, John Bernardo, John Trasacco, and Lauren Knox were charged with wire fraud and conspiracy charges. On November 29, 2021, Mr. Price was sentenced to 110 months in prison. Amir Aqeel, Siddiq Azeemuddin, Rifat Bajwa, Pardeep Basra, Mayer Misak, Mauricio Navia, Richard Reuth, and Raheel Malik were charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, and money laundering. The case was brought in in Portland, Oregon and it is currently pending. He was sentenced to 80 months in prison on March 3, 2022. The Government alleged that Mr. Fitzgerald provided false statements about receiving loan for COVID-19 relief plans for New Beginning Family Service LLC. Martin Kao was charged with multiple counts of wire fraud and money laundering. Mr. Abramovs has pleaded guilty and is scheduled to be sentenced on August 22, 2022. Ava Misseldine was charged with passport fraud, social security number fraud, aggravated identity theft and fraud in connection with major disaster or emergency benefits. The Government alleged that Mr. Knight submitted fraudulent loan applications and obtained $149,900 in COVID-19 relief funds. PPP Loans List :: PPP Detective Ms. Jaworska pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud. The case was brought in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Brandon Casutt was charged with making false statements to a bank, wire fraud, bank fraud, and money laundering. Michael Moller was charged with bank fraud and making false statements to the SBA. Mr. Etwaru pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 2 years probation on August 19, 2021. On January 6, 2022, he was sentenced to 33 months in prison. "Ridge thought he could unjustly enrich himself by defrauding a program designed to support . Mr. Jones pleaded guilty on June 1, 2022 and is scheduled to be sentenced on September 27, 2022. Debra Hackstadt was charged with wire fraud. Mr. Santemores pleaded guilty on April 27, 2022, and was sentenced on July 25, 2022 but the terms of his sentence are under seal. Lee Price was charged with wire fraud, bank fraud, money laundering, and making false statements to a lending institution. On March 21, 2022, he was sentenced to 188 months in prison, and he filed a notice of appeal on March 29, 2022. Banks will likely be targeted in the coming months for their roles with the Paycheck Protection Program and other lending during the pandemic. Mr. Olivetti pleaded guilty on December 13, 2021, and is scheduled for a pre-sentence conference on August 30, 2022. Date: December 8, 2021. On December 9, 2020, Mr. Suber pleaded guilty to an information. The other defendants are scheduled for trial on September 20, 2022. Their trial is currently scheduled for September 2, 2022. On June 16, 2022, Mr. Buoi was sentenced to 39 months in prison. On October 21, 2021, Mr. Argires was sentenced to 8 months in prison. The Government alleged that the defendants submitted falsified loan applications obtaining approximately $396,875.00 in COVI-19 relief funds. The Government alleged that Mr. Bischoff, who owned multiple pizza restaurants, submitted fraudulent loan applications seeking to obtain almost $1 million in COVID-19 relief funds. The case was brought in Monroe, Louisiana. Mr. Bischoff pleaded guilty on November 23, 2020. Together, more than 5.5 million PPP loans were approved totaling more than $557.8 billion. Joshua Argires was charged in a criminal complaint with making false statements to a financial institution, wire fraud, bank fraud, and money laundering. Shashank Shekhar Rai was charged with wire fraud, bank fraud, false statements to a financial institution, and false statements to small business administration. Ms. Tubbs pleaded guilty to one count of bank fraud. The Government alleged that Mr. The Government alleged that Mr. Augustin submitted fraudulent loan applications for his company Clear Vision Music Group LLC obtaining more than $24 million dollars in COVID-19 relief funds. On August 10, 2021, Mr. Hsu was sentenced to 24 months in prison. Samuel Davis was charged with bank fraud and money laundering. The PPP (Paycheck Protection Program) is an emergency disaster loan program administered by the SBA designed to provide funds to small businesses with under 500 employees who were affected by the 2020 Coronavirus epidemic. Vidal is scheduled for sentencing on July 19, 2022, George is scheduled for sentencing on August 16, 2022, Womble is scheduled for sentencing on August 23, 2022, and Sims is scheduled for sentencing on August 29, 2022. Atlanta man sentenced for Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) fraud The Government also alleged that Mr. Collins used his tax-preparation business to file thousands of fraudulent tax returns resulting in a loss of $3.8 million to the IRS. The case was brought in San Francisco, California. SBA-OIG Investigations Relating to PPP Loan Fraud The Government alleged that Israyelyan admitted to owning a hospice agency that was never operating during the COVID-19 pandemic and received over $89,000 in COVID-19 relief funds to treat patients. The Government alleged that Mr. Schampers filed one fraudulent loan application seeking almost $300,000 in COVID-19 relief funds. On August 2, 2021, Mr. Gautreaux was sentenced to 70 months in prison. The Government alleged that Mr. McKenzie and Ms. Bostic participated in a conspiracy with others that involved submitting fraudulent loan applications seeking a total of $24 million in COVID-19 relief funds. The case was brought in Detroit, Michigan and is currently pending. The Government alleged that Mr. Ridge submitted fraudulent loan applications seeking almost $500,000 in COVID-19 relief loans, of which he obtained $160,000. 94% of the total 2020 PPP loan value has been forgiven, in full or in part. The case was brought in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Mr. Tran pleaded guilty on June 30, 2022, to two counts of wire fraud and is scheduled for sentencing on November 3, 2022. It is also alleged that Santana used the funds to purchase vehicles and invest in cryptocurrency. On September 16, 2021, Mr. Shah was sentenced to 31 months in prison. Mr. Stewart pleaded guilty on September 25, 2020, and his sentencing date is to be determined. The case is pending. Ms. Denton pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud on July 22, 2021. Rahul Shah was charged with bank fraud, making false statements on a loan application, and identity fraud. The case was brought in Newport News, Virginia. His sentencing is scheduled for December 15, 2021. Bernadin pleaded guilty on June 22, 2022 and is scheduled to be sentenced on September 28, 2022. The case was brought in Orlando, Florida. The case was brought in Washington, D.C. Woods pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 6 months in prison on July 15, 2021. Disclaimer|Sitemap. Brandon Fitzgerald-Holley was charged with wire fraud and money laundering. On June 7, 2021, Manuk Grigoryan pleaded guilty to bank fraud and aggravated identity theft. On the same day, Mr. Philus was sentenced to 30 months in prison. The case was brought in Atlanta, Georgia. On June 2, 2021, Mr. Smith was sentenced to 57 months in prison. Mr. Ho was found guilty on all charges. Ms. Norton pleaded guilty on November 12, 2020, and she is scheduled to be sentenced on November 10, 2022. He was sentenced to 24 months in prison on November 17, 2021. The Government alleged that Ms. Swope and Ms. Pearson submitted fraudulent loan applications seeking over $5 million in COVID-19 relief funds. On August 9, 2021, Mr. Cartlidge pleaded guilty to one count of attempt and conspiracy to commit fraud. The woman pleaded guilty to wire fraud and making false statements in response to a grand jury's indictment last year. Mr. Kao has pleaded not guilty, and his trial is currently scheduled for January 17, 2023. On October 13, 2021, he was sentenced to 18 months in prison. The Government alleged that Mr. Brenizer submitted fraudulent loan applications and obtained $841, 000 in COVID-19 relief funds. The PPP allows the interest and principal to be forgiven if businesses spend the . The Government alleged that Mr. Mohan submitted fraudulent loan applications seeking over $5.5 million in COVID-19 relief funds. The case was brought in Greenbelt, Maryland.