These loans have been flagged by other users as potentially being fraudulent. Darius McCants was charged with attempt and conspiracy and multiple counts of wire fraud. Kyle Brenizer was charged with several counts of wire fraud, money laundering, and aggravated identity theft. 4. Search for PPP loan applications by organization, lender, zip code and business type. Here's a list of the PPP loan prosecutions to date: 1. The Government alleged that Mr. Bernadin filed fraudulent loan applications seeking approximately over $529,000 in COVID-19 relief funds for his companies La Salette Angel Home Care LLC and Adley Electric LP. Teamwork and Farms. She was sentenced to 41 months in prison. Quincy Doss was charged with two counts of wire fraud. All rights reserved. Robert Stewart was charged with wire fraud, theft of government funds, and making false statements. Matthew Welch was charged with wire fraud. The Government alleged that Ms. Denton submitted fraudulent loan applications for $491,310 in COVID-19 relief funds. There are, of course, many other CARES Act fraud investigations currently pending that may later result in criminal charges. The Government alleged that Mr. Santemore, an Amtrak employee, submitted fraudulent loan applications seeking over $89,000 in COVID-19 relief funds. The Government alleged that Campbell through Expert Tax Services, and Apex Accounting & Tax Inc., submitted fraudulent loan applications obtaining approximately $100,000 in commission in COVID-19 relief funds. Teldrin Foster was charged with multiple counts of wire fraud, bank fraud, and attempt and conspiracy to commit fraud. 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. On August 9, 2021, Mr. Cartlidge pleaded guilty to one count of attempt and conspiracy to commit fraud. Shaquandra Woods, Courtney Gilchrist, and Kenneth Jackson were charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, false statements on loan applications, and false documents. Arena submitted fraudulent loan application for ADA Auto Group LLC obtaining approximately $954,000 in COVID-19 relief funds. Search PPP Loan List in Miami Beach, Florida. The Government alleged that Ms. Falgoust filed 5 fraudulent loan applications seeking over $500,000 in COVID-19 relief funds. Her trial is scheduled for July 28, 2022. The case was brought in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. We update this list weekly with any new cases filed and/or key developments in cases already pending. The case was brought in Los Angeles, California. Mr. Cherry pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud and one count of theft of government property. The Government alleged that Mr. Blotnick submitted fraudulent loan applications seeking $4.6 million COVID-19 relief funds and transferring that money to his brokerage accounts to buy stock. The case was brought in Detroit, Michigan. The case was brought in Miami, Florida. Tracy Kirkland was charged with wire fraud. The case was brought in Tucson, Arizona. Ms. Kirkland pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 33 months in prison. The case was brought in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The case was brought in Atlanta, Georgia. Mr. Lewis pleaded guilty to all counts. All rights reserved. The Kwaks have pleaded not guilty, and the case is pending. Mr. Ashcraft pleaded guilty on May 9, 2022, to one count of wire fraud and one count of bank fraud and is scheduled to be sentenced on October 17, 2022. Mr. Criss pled guilty and was sentenced to 10 months in prison on November 1, 2021. Chad Schampers was charged with one count of wire fraud and money laundering. The case was brought in Alexandria, Virginia. The Government alleged that Santana submitted a fraudulent loan application to obtain $2.5 million in COVID-19 relief funds. Larry D. Jordan and Sutukh El were charged with attempt and conspiracy to commit mail fraud. It is also alleged that Santana used the funds to purchase vehicles and invest in cryptocurrency. Search for PPP loan applications by organization, lender, zip code and business type. The case was brought in Houston, Texas. The case was brought in Las Vega, Nevada. 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. The Government alleged that Ms. Shearod, along with 21 other individuals, conspired to submit fraudulent loan applications seeking over $3.8 million in COVID-19 relief funds. Darius Hollis was charged with wire fraud. Mr. Foster pleaded not guilty on August 13, 2021, and his case is pending. On November 15, 2021, he was sentenced to 51 months in prison. E! On July 11, 2022, Mr. Collins was sentenced to 63 months in prison and Ms. Collins was sentenced to 30 days in prison. The Government alleged that Mr. Hsu submitted fraudulent loan applications seeking $1.1 million in COVID-19 relief funds. The Government alleged that Mr. Pan submitted fraudulent loan applications seeking over $6 million in COVID-19 relief funds. The Government alleged that Benton and Cartwright-Powers worked with Lewis and White, two prison inmates in Virginia, to collect the personal identifiable information of other inmates and fraudulently apply for unemployment benefits expanded during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Government alleged that Hackstadt submitted fraudulent loan applications and obtained over $250,000 in COVID-19 relief funds. Mr. Crosby is scheduled to go to trial on September 20, 2022. On September 15, 2021, Mr. Fayne was sentenced to 210 months in prison. The case was brought in Atlanta, Georgia. Fouzi Darakhshan was charged with conspiracy to commit offenses against the United States, and several counts of false statements on loan applications. Mr. Hamilton pleaded guilty to one count of bank fraud. Gregory J. Blotnick was charged with eight counts of wire fraud and six counts of money laundering. On the same day, Mr. Philus was sentenced to 30 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. The Government alleged that Mr. Williams an authorized representative of Bamigi Brand submitted fraudulent loan applications obtaining approximately $300,000.00 in COVID-19 relief funds. On June 29, 2021, Mr. Crowther was sentenced to 37 months in prison. The Government alleged that the defendants participated in a conspiracy with others that involved submitting fraudulent loan applications seeking a total of $24 million in COVID-19 relief funds. Mr. Ho was found guilty on all charges. Acknowledging PPP loan applicants' compliance burdens (and the limited information that was initially made available to applicants), the U.S. Small Business Administration ( SBA) offered a grace period within which companies could return improperly obtained PPP loans without penalty. On October 25, 2021, Mr. Frazier pleaded guilty to two counts of wire fraud. The case was brought in Sherman, Texas. Raji was sentenced to 70 months in prison on Mary 20, 2022, and Lawals is scheduled to be sentenced on August 24, 2022. "Ridge thought he could unjustly enrich himself by defrauding a program designed to support . The case was brought in Atlanta, Georgia. Ms. Denton pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud on July 22, 2021. Johnson Eustache was charged with wire fraud and false statements. reports related to PPP loans with the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network. Mary Benton, Angelica Cartwright-Powers, Michael Lewis, and Michael White were charged with conspiracy to commit fraud in connection with major disaster benefits and mail fraud. The Government alleged that Mr. Thomas recruited the other defendants to submit fraudulent loan applications on behalf of fourteen different businesses, which did not have any employees or business expenses, seeking over $12 million in COVID-19 relief funds. Mr. Smith pleaded guilty to one count of bank fraud. The Government alleged that Mr. Olugbuyi submitted fraudulent loan applications seeking $400,000 in COVID-19 relief funds. He is scheduled to be sentenced on August 15, 2022. He was sentenced to 78 months in prison on March 30, 2022. Her sentencing is scheduled for January 12, 2022. 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. The case was brought in Orlando, Florida, and his trial is currently scheduled for August 1, 2022. The Government alleged that the defendants submitted fraudulent tax documents to seek over $100,000 in COVID-19 relief funds. The case was brought in in Portland, Oregon and it is currently pending. Eldabbagh pleaded guilty and is scheduled for sentencing on August 25, 2022. 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 Brooklyn, New York. Ms. Misseldine also allegedly used the funds to purchase a home in Utah and Michigan, totaling almost $1 million for both homes. Mr. Choi has a change of plea hearing that has not been scheduled at this time. Tarik Jaafar was charged with conspiracy against the United States and conspiracy to commit wire fraud. On January 6, 2022, he was sentenced to 33 months in prison. The case is brought in Atlanta, Georgia. Mr. Lewis was sentenced to 22 months in prison on June 29, 2022. Myrna Ortiz was charged with conspiracy to commit money laundering and over 30 counts of conversion of government funds. The case was brought in Brooklyn, New York. On June 16, 2021, Darrell Thomas pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit bank and wire fraud and one count of money laundering, and he also admitted to additional fraud as part of his plea deal, including obtaining fraudulent automobile loans. Click on a company's name to see additional loan details. The Government alleged that Jalloul, a tax consultant, submitted approximately 170 loan applications for over 160 of his clients seeking over $23 million in COVID-19 relief funds. Date: December 8, 2021. 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 case was brought in Baltimore, Maryland. Mr. Tolliver pleaded not guilty at his arraignment in November 2021 and his trial is currently scheduled for December 19, 2022. The case was brought in West Palm Beach, Florida. The Government has dismissed the complaint against Mr. Olugbuyi without prejudice, meaning they may still indict him in the future. Marcus Frazier was charged with major fraud against the United States, making false statements on a loan application, making false statements to the Government, making false statements to the Small Business Administration, money laundering, wire fraud, and bank fraud. Chung pleaded guilty on March 11, 2021, and was sentenced to 18 months in prison on March 1, 2022. The case was brought in Fort Myers, Florida. The Government alleged that Mr. Suber submitted fraudulent loan applications and obtained $350,000 in COVID-19 relief funds. On February 24, 2022, Mr. Bearden was sentenced to 12 months and 1 day in prison. Rosado pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 37 months on December 3, 2021. Fouzi Darakhshan pleaded guilty on May 31, 2022 and is scheduled to be sentenced September 16, 2022. On October 8, 2021, Ms. Denton was sentenced to 6 months in prison and 12 months on home confinement. The Government alleged that Ms. Ford-Victory submitted more than 100 fraudulent Pandemic Unemployment Assistance claims seeking over $1.2 million in COVID-19 relief funds. Mr. Abramovs has pleaded guilty and is scheduled to be sentenced on August 22, 2022. Dinesh Sah was charged with several counts of wire fraud, bank fraud, and money laundering. Mr. Kao has pleaded not guilty, and his trial is currently scheduled for January 17, 2023. The case was brought in Houston, Texas. She was sentenced to 12 months and 1 day. She was sentenced to 24 months in prison. Brandon Ridge was charged with brank fraud, wire fraud, and money laundering. The Government alleged that Mathews submitted 38 fraudulent loan applications obtaining over $1 million in COVID-19 relief funds. PPP Loan Search; FL; Miami Beach; Business Name Loan Amount Lender; LINDY L NOWAK: 17500: City National Bank of Florida: SPIAGGIA INC: 17500: This case was brought in Atlanta, Georgia. She was sentenced to 2 years of probation on February 28, 2022. The Government alleged that Mr. Argires submitted fraudulent loan applications and obtained more than $1.1 million in COVID-19 relief funds. Mr. Stewart pleaded guilty to all charges. Vinath Oudomsine was charged with one count of wire fraud. The Government alleged that Nevis, a real estate developer from California, submitted at least 12 fraudulent loan applications and obtained over $1.5 million in COVID-10 relief funds. Mr. Hayes pleaded guilty. The Government also alleged that Ms. Miller submitted fraudulent requests for unemployment benefits. See Wook Chung was charged with fraud by wire, radio, or television. The case was brought in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Izzat Freitekh and Tarik Freitekh were charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, bank fraud scheme, money laundering, and other related charges. Mr. Hayford pleaded guilty to all the counts. Michael McGee, Jr. was charged with attempt and conspiracy to commit fraud, multiple counts of wire fraud, and interstate commerce. He was sentenced to 41 months in prison on January 14, 2021. The Government alleged that Mr. Sissoko submitted fraudulent loan applications to obtain over $7.25 million in COVID-19 relief funds, which he then allegedly misappropriated on personal expenses. The case was brought in Atlanta, Georgia. The Government alleged that Mr. Kanyike submitted several fraudulent loan applications seeking over $1.8 million in COVID-19 relief funds, of which he received $1.3 million. We also help our clients gain access to seized or frozen accounts by working with banks, and government agents to release money that rightfully belongs to our clients. Contact: newsroom@ci.irs.gov. The case was brought in Statesboro, Georgia. Mr. McLeod and Ms. Wilson have both pleaded guilty. On May 17, 2021, Mr. Staveley pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bank fraud and failure to appear in court. On August 24, 2021, Mr. Mohan was sentenced to 24 months in prison. The case was brought in Alexandria, Virginia. The case was brought in Dayton, Ohio. Petty pleaded guilty on November 10, 2020. On October 8, 2021, Damion McKenzie pleaded guilty, and he was sentenced to 44 months on January 21, 2022. Ms. Swope and Ms. Pearson have pleaded not guilty, and their trial is scheduled for August 22, 2022. Mr. Jordan and Mr. El have pleaded not guilty, and their cases are pending. Some employees received about $40,000 in loans, he said. 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 Government alleged that the couple conspired to submit fraudulent loan applications seeking over $5.1 million in COVID-19 relief funds. This case was brought in Albany, New York. Some people have already been convicted, while others are being secretly investigated. On June 2, 2021, Mr. Smith was sentenced to 57 months in prison. Andrew Marnell was charged with several counts of bank fraud and money laundering. The case was brought in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Ms. Terry was sentenced to 65 months in the prior healthcare fraud scheme. The Government alleged that Ms. Lawson and Ms. Quarterman submitted fraudulent loan applications on behalf of the other defendants seeking over $700,000 in COVID-19 relief funds. Mr. Welch pled guilty and was sentenced to 5 years of probation on June 15, 2021. We will contact you as soon as possible if we are able to help. The case was brought in Atlanta, Georgia. Nikia. IR-2021-65, March 25, 2021 The Internal Revenue Service's Criminal Investigation Division (IRS-CI) marks the one-year anniversary of the Coronavirus Aid, . The Government alleged that Mr. Defrees submitted multiple loan applications at two different banks seeking $1.7 million in COVID-19 relief funds. Mr. Fitzgerald pled guilty and was sentenced to 2 years probation on June 3, 2021. On March 24, 2022, Ms. Cartwright-Powers was sentenced to 20 months in prison. Mr. Oudomsine was charged by an information on October 19, 2021, and he pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud on October 28, 2021. The Government alleged that Mr. Martinez acquired approval to issue PPP loans as a non-bank lender and earned over $70 million in lender fees. The Government alleged that Mr. Buoi submitted fraudulent loan applications seeking more than $13 million in COVID-19 relief funds. The case was brought in Newark, New Jersey and it is currently pending. William Nicoloff, Jr. was charged with bank fraud and unlawful monetary transactions. The Government alleged that Rabbitt filed fraudulent loan applications seeking over $3.3 million in COVID-19 relief funds. The case was brought in Albany, Georgia. The case was brought in Raleigh, North Carolina. The case was brought in Beaumont, Texas. Mr. Lewis is scheduled for sentencing on July 27, 2022. Jonathan Olivetti was charged with one count of wire 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 Boston, Massachusetts. On March 9, 2022, he was sentenced to 36 months in prison. Our federal defense lawyers are representing companies nationwide in PPP loan fraud audits and investigations during the COVID-19 crisis. Mr. Mr. Fitzgerald-Holley pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 6 months in prison on April 21, 2022. Levelle Harris was charged with 14 counts of wire fraud. Ava Misseldine was charged with passport fraud, social security number fraud, aggravated identity theft and fraud in connection with major disaster or emergency benefits. Frank Hamilton, Michael Jones, Peter An, Edwin Bonilla, Tina Chen, Joseph Greco, Timothy Park, and Kenny Tran were charged with wire fraud conspiracy. The case was brought in Seattle, Washington. Contact the PPP Loan Fraud Defense Lawyers at Oberheiden P.C. On May 12, 2021, Mr. Hines was sentenced to 78 months in prison. Soto pleaded guilty on February 24, 2022, and is scheduled to be sentenced on August 3, 2022. 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. On September 8, 2021, he was sentenced to 27 months in prison. On June 17, 2021, Mr. Rai was sentenced to 24 months in prison. The Government alleged that Mr. Dorceus owner of Elevate Horizons submitted fraudulent loan applications obtaining approximately $300,000 I COVI-19 relief funds. Wahid Mohamed Makki was charged with wire fraud and money laundering. The Government alleged that Mr. Moller submitted several fraudulent loan applications seeking over $4.7 million in COVID-19 relief funds. His trial is set for October 3, 2022. On March 21, 2022, he was sentenced to 188 months in prison, and he filed a notice of appeal on March 29, 2022. On May 6, 2022, Mr. Augustin was sentenced to 78 months in prison. They also alleged that he submitted fraudulent loan applications seeking over $6.9 million in COVID-19 relief funds. Christopher Hayes was charged with making a false, fictitious, or fraudulent claim to the Government. On June 28, 2021, after a 9-day jury trial, Richard Ayvazyan, Marietta Terabelian, and Artur Ayvazyan were found guilty. Mr. Olivetti pleaded guilty on December 13, 2021, and is scheduled for a pre-sentence conference on August 30, 2022. Businesses must use PPP loan proceeds for payroll costs, interest on mortgages, rent and utilities. 2022 by The Church Law Firm LLC. The Government alleged that Mr. McCants, along with 21 other individuals, conspired to submit fraudulent loan applications seeking over $3.8 million in COVID-19 relief funds. 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. The DOJ is targeting individuals and businesses in PPP loan fraud investigations, and it is targeting those who received loans of all sizes. On October 7, 2021, Mr. Staveley was sentenced to 44 months for the bank fraud offense and 12 additional months for his failure to appear, run consecutively for a total of 56 months. On December 9, 2020, Mr. Suber pleaded guilty to an information. The case was brought in Newark, New Jersey. Yashica Bain was charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud. The case was brought in Miami, Florida. Casey Crowther was charged with multiple counts of bank fraud, making false statements on a loan application, and money laundering. On October 25, 2021, he was sentenced to 72 months in prison. The Government alleged Mr. Stewart submitted fraudulent loan application through The Infinity Group of SC, LLC to obtain approximately $300,000.00 in COVID-19 relief funds. Mr. Moller has a prior conviction for fraud. Tonye Johnson was charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and bank fraud, wire fraud, and bank fraud. He was sentenced to 135 months in prison on July 19, 2022. On September 1, 2020, Khalil Green pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit bank and wire fraud. Mr. Brenizer pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 57 months on June 17, 2022. Kenneth Gaughan was charged with bank fraud, theft of government funds, identity fraud, wire fraud, and money laundering. On January 31, 2022, Ms. Ford-Victory pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud conspiracy. The Government alleged that Christopher and Erin Mazzei submitted fraudulent loan applications and obtained over $1.3 million in COVID-19 relief funds. 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. On June 23, 2022, she was sentenced to 3 years of probation with the first 6 months to be served on home confinement. The Government alleged that Mr. Redding submitted 2 fraudulent loan applications seeking over $40,000 in COVID-19 relief funds. The Government alleged that Mr. Shah submitted fraudulent loan applications seeking more than $400,000 in COVID-19 relief funds. Alfred Nevis was charged with wire fraud, aggravated identity theft and money laundering. Zhang pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 60 days in prison on May 7, 2021. Mr. Brown was sentenced to time served on April 26, 2022. Mr. Licata pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud on January 13, 2022. 4,730. lenders have requested forgiveness for 2020 PPP loans. Deon Levy and Abdul-Azeem Levy were charged with wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud. The Government alleged that Mr. Hosey knowingly and willfully conspired to commit fraud against the United States regarding COVDI-19 relief funds. The case was brought in Greenbelt, Maryland. This list is organized by the date charges were filed, and only includes cases that have been indicted or charged by information. The case was brought in Ft Lauderdale, Florida. The case was brought in Seattle, Washington. Jabari Ogbonna Edwards and Antwann Richardson were charged with attempt and conspiracy to commit mail fraud, fraud by wire, radio or television, statements or entries generally and money laundering. Both Hatter and Parker have pleaded not guilty and their case is pending. The case was brought in Billings, Montana. The Government alleged that the married couple defrauded 1,700 victims in a scheme involving applying for small business loans and fraudulently collecting unemployment benefits. Lakisha Swope and Treisha Pearson were charged with conspiracy to defraud the United States, bank fraud, wire fraud, and money laundering. Luke Pierre, Jr. was charged with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. "The two operating components of the [SBA-OIG] are the Auditing Division and the Investigations Division. This case was brought in Atlanta, Georgia. On September 3, 2021, he pleaded guilty. The Government alleged that Mr. Henley submitted fraudulent loan applications and obtained over $1 million in COVID-19 relief funds. The case was brought in Norfolk, Virginia. Mr. Gautreaux pleaded guilty to one count of making false statements to a financial institution. This case was brought in Richmond, Virginia. The Government alleged that Mr. Crowther submitted fraudulent loan applications seeking over $2 million in COVID-19 relief funds. Ronald Smith and Terri Miller were charged with wire fraud, money laundering, and fraud in connection with emergency benefits. The case was brought in Newark, New Jersey. This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. However, the participation of FinTechs in the PPP may have led to increased incidents of fraud. Petty was sentenced to serve 12 months and 1 day in prison. Shashank Shekhar Rai was charged with wire fraud, bank fraud, false statements to a financial institution, and false statements to small business administration. The White House on Thursday called for a "thorough and complete" investigation into reports that hundreds of young girls attending primary school in Iran have been affected by symptoms associated with toxic gas poisoning. Brandon Lewis was charged with two counts of wire fraud and one count of making false statements. The Government alleged that Mr. Oudomsine submitted a fraudulent loan application and obtained $85,000 in COVID-19 relief funds.