Reports

BOSTON – A Nigerian man was arrested on Aug. 13, 2024 upon arriving at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City on charges that he, and others, conspired to fraudulently obtain at least $10 million in COVID-19 unemployment benefits.

Roderick Billingslea has been sentenced to federal prison for obtaining a fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan and operating illegal trucking businesses.

Jia Bei Zhu, 62, and Zhaoyan Wang, 38, both citizens of China, who operated the biolabs Universal Meditech Inc. (UMI) and Prestige Biotech Inc. (PBI) in Fresno and Reedley face conspiracy and wire fraud charges in a superseding indictment.

BOSTON – A Cambridge man was indicted yesterday by a federal grand jury in connection with an ongoing investigation into counterfeit pills containing fentanyl and methamphetamine. It is alleged that the defendant is responsible for the manufacturing over 200 kilograms of counterfeit pills.

Mycheal Arnell Brady, also known as “Michael Brady,” has been indicted on federal charges of wire fraud and aggravated identity theft, for stealing COVID-19 relief funds and submitting fraudulent federal tax refunds using the stolen identities of multiple individuals. Brady has also been charged with possession of unauthorized access devices that contained dozens of the identity theft victims’ personal information, including their Social Security numbers.

“As alleged, the defendants, including members of law enforcement responsible for upholding the law, defrauded the United States government out of relief funds meant for businesses struggling to survive the pandemic,” stated United States Attorney Peace. “These arrests are a powerful reminder of this Office’s resolve to prosecute anyone who violated the public trust and took advantage of the COVID crisis by stealing from relief programs.”

Robert Baines admitted fraudulently obtaining $41,484 in loans.

Edna McGowan-Baker engaged in a scheme to fraudulently obtain Paycheck Protection Program loans.