Reports

An Orange County man and part-time actor was found guilty by a jury today of soliciting investors in companies that marketed what in fact were a bogus cure and treatment for COVID-19 during the pandemic’s early days.

A Maryland man pleaded guilty today to conspiring to defraud Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act loan programs and to his role in a years-long scheme to defraud commercial equipment financing companies.

Earlier today, at the federal courthouse in Central Islip, a criminal complaint was unsealed charging Jonathan Cannon and Julie Dotton with wire fraud in connection with a scheme to defraud a company seeking to purchase personal protective equipment (“PPE”) at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Anton Demetrius Matthews, age 40, of Wheeling, West Virginia, was sentenced to more than 13 years in prison for wire fraud, cocaine trafficking, and a supervised release violation. According to United States Attorney William Ihlenfeld, Matthews obtained nearly $50,000 in CARES Act loans after misrepresenting his income and occupation while he was incarcerated.

PROVIDENCE, RI – Four Florida residents have been convicted in federal court in Providence, Rhode Island, for their individual roles in a wide-ranging conspiracy to use stolen personal identifying information (PII) of unsuspecting individuals to fraudulently obtain more than $4.8 million by defrauding banks and fraudulently obtaining benefits and payments from federal and state agencies in multiple jurisdictions, announced United States Attorney Zachary A. Cunha and Rhode Island Attorney General Peter F. Neronha.

CAMDEN, N.J. – An Atlantic County, New Jersey, man was arrested today for fraudulent acts he committed in connection with COVID-19 relief funds.

Ruben Mireles, 48, of Clovis, was sentenced today to one year in prison for stealing $1.4 million in COVID-19 relief money.