Reports

A federal jury in the Northern District of Georgia convicted a Georgia attorney and former City of Atlanta police officer yesterday of fraudulently obtaining over $7 million in loans under the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP).

Austin Martin Siampwizi, who laundered money procured from fraudulent unemployment claims filed during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, has pleaded guilty to a charge of money laundering conspiracy.

A Florida attorney has been convicted at trial for participating in a scheme to illegally obtain funding from a federal COVID-19 small business relief program.

Ronald House, who applied for unemployment insurance in his name and the names of others in multiple states during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, has pleaded guilty to a wire fraud charge.

Jeremy Graves has been sentenced for theft of government funds and aggravated identity theft for stealing identities to file fraudulent Unemployment Insurance (“UI”) claims during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Andy Steven Johnson, a correctional officer and member of the Special Investigative Services team at the United States Penitentiary in Atlanta, pleaded guilty to stealing money from an inmate’s CashApp account and also using a business that did not exist to fraudulently apply for a Paycheck Protection Program loan.

Paul Kwak has been sentenced for a multi-million-dollar fraud scheme related to a COVID relief program. Three co-conspirators were previously sentenced to prison as well.

An Atlanta-area man has been sentenced to federal prison and ordered to pay nearly $300,000 in restitution after pleading guilty to siphoning money from a private individual’s bank account.

A Georgia man has been sentenced to federal prison and ordered to pay substantial restitution for leading a conspiracy that stole nearly $2 million in COVID-19 small business relief funding.

As part of a coordinated nationwide effort to fight COVID-19 fraud, the Southern District of Georgia has taken action against individuals who illegally obtained nearly $11 million in funds intended to help struggling small businesses during the global pandemic.