Reports

U.S. District Judge Deborah K. Chasanow sentenced Njuh Valentine Fombe, a/k/a “Valentine”, age 37, a Cameroonian citizen, formerly residing in Beltsville, Maryland, today to 12 years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for conspiracies to commit wire fraud and money laundering, and for aggravated identity theft, in connection with a business email compromise fraud scheme with intended losses of more than $2 million. Based on court documents and evidence presented during Fombe’s sentencing, the Court also found that Fombe engaged in a pandemic-related unemployment...

U.S. District Judge Deborah L. Boardman sentenced Denish Sahadevan, a/k/a “Danny Devan,” age 32, of Potomac, Maryland, today to three years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for wire fraud, aggravated identity theft and money laundering, relating to his scheme to defraud lenders and the Small Business Administration (“SBA”) of more than $1.2 million in Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”) loans and Economic Injury Disaster Loans (“EIDL”). Judge Boardman also ordered that Sahadevan will forfeit the cash and Bitcoin seized during a search of his residence on...

A federal grand jury returned an indictment charging Reginald Davis, age 40, of Baltimore, Maryland, for wire fraud and money laundering relating to the submission of fraudulent COVID-19 CARES Act loan applications. Davis is the former Chief Executive Officer of Strong City Baltimore (“SCB”), established in Maryland in 2015 as a non-profit organization serving individuals, community associations, institutions, and businesses in Baltimore. The indictment was returned on August 3, 2023, and unsealed today upon the arrest of the defendant.

A federal grand jury has returned an indictment charging David Epstein, age 45, of Owings Mills, Maryland, for wire fraud and money laundering, relating to the submission of fraudulent COVID-19 CARES Act loan applications. The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (“CARES”) Act was a federal law enacted in March 2020 to provide emergency financial assistance to Americans suffering from the economic effects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The indictment was filed on June 24, 2023, and unsealed today at Epstein’s initial appearance.

Today the Justice Department announced the establishment of three Strike Force teams created to enhance the Department’s existing efforts to combat and prevent COVID-19 related fraud.

A federal grand jury has returned an indictment charging Dana Lamar Antonio Hayes, Jr., age 37, of Baltimore, Maryland, on the federal charges of wire fraud, money laundering, and aggravated identity theft. The indictment was returned on June 23, 2022, and unsealed upon his arrest. Hayes will have an initial appearance today at 3:30 p.m. in U.S. District Court in Baltimore before U.S. Magistrate Judge Beth P. Gesner.