Reports

A Beaumont man has been sentenced for federal violations related to a COVID-relief fraud scheme in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney Damien M. Diggs.

Teldrin Foster, John Gaines, and Carla Jackson have been sentenced for their roles in a scheme to steal Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”) funds during the COVID-19 pandemic. To date, a total of 23 individuals have been convicted and sentenced in connection with the fraudulent scheme.

BOSTON – A Lawrence woman pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court in Boston to separate fraudulent schemes that targeted banks and the Small Business Administration (SBA).

A former Overland Park, Kansas, man was sentenced in federal court today for fraudulently receiving more than $800,000 under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act for a business that was no longer in operation.

Jeannine Buford spent the money on personal expenses, including the $14,000 deposit on a 2017 BMW X6, a $5,000 couch and $1,855 to rent a luxury apartment in St. Louis.

Ocala, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Nicole Harding (38, Clermont) has pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud. Harding faces up to 20 years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set.

Salt Lake City, Utah – Robert James Waff, 50, of Sacramento, California, was sentenced today to a year and a half imprisonment, three years’ supervised release and ordered by the court to pay $114,066 in restitution. The sentence, imposed by U.S. District Court Judge Tena Campbell, comes after Waff admitted to devising a scheme to defraud the California Employment Development Department by unlawfully collecting unemployment benefits during COVID-19.

Mark Jermain pleaded guilty to three counts of wire fraud and admitted submitting three fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program loan applications from April 26, 2020, to July 16, 2021.