Reports

A Bergen County man, who orchestrated a scheme to fraudulently obtain approximately $670,292 in COVID-19 relief funding, was sentenced on August 12, 2026, to 24 months imprisonment.

Seattle – The final defendant of a six-defendant fraud scheme that submitted fraudulent applications seeking more than $6.8 million in COVID benefits was convicted late yesterday in U.S. District Court in Seattle, announced First Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles Neil Floyd.

PHOENIX, Ariz. – Mohammed Maio, 43, of Phoenix, Arizona, pleaded guilty earlier this month to Conspiracy to Commit Wire and Bank Fraud and Conspiracy to Commit Money Laundering. Mohammed Maio also pleaded guilty in a second matter to Felon in Possession of a Firearm, and Aiding Another in Making a Materially False Statement to Purchase a Firearm.

Jedrek Upton, 45, of Lincoln, was sentenced today to one year in prison to be followed by 36 months supervised release, of which 12 months are to be spent on home detention, for wire fraud and money laundering in a scheme to steal nearly $1.5 million of COVID-relief loans.

URBANA, Ill. – A Bourbonnais, Illinois, woman, Octavia Renee Murphy, 37, of the 700 block of Double Jack Street, was sentenced on May 19, 2026, to one year in prison for conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, and money laundering.

ABSALOM HALL pleaded guilty to wire fraud, tax, and money laundering charges.

Orlando, FL – Emmet Bowens (57, Apopka) has been sentenced by U.S. District Judge Dalton to 63 months in federal prison for wire fraud and money laundering. As part of his sentence, the court also entered an order of forfeiture in the amount of $739,582, the proceeds of the offenses. Bowens pleaded guilty on January 26, 2026.