Reports

A Houston, Texas, woman has pleaded guilty in federal court to fraudulently receiving Missouri and Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act unemployment benefits using the identity information of numerous other persons.

Servicers followed the COVID-19 pandemic foreclosure moratorium requirements. However, they could have better communicated the moratorium requirements to delinquent borrowers who were subject to foreclosure proceedings. This situation occurred because HUD did not require servicers to notify borrowers directly about the foreclosure moratorium and that occupancy would pause the foreclosure process. Borrowers who were not informed about the moratorium or impacts of vacancy could have abandoned their homes, not realizing that remaining in the home would have afforded them additional time to...

“As alleged, the defendant made a business out of defrauding the government by falsely claiming that she and others needed government loan benefits to pay their employees during the pandemic. This money was meant to help businesses weather the pandemic. In reality, the defendant was lining her own pockets,” stated United States Attorney Peace. “This Office will continue prosecuting those who took advantage of the COVID crisis and stole funds from vitally important government relief programs.”

A federal grand jury today returned a superseding indictment charging an Orange County man with wire fraud and money laundering for allegedly making fraudulent claims to the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program, two federal programs created to provide financial assistance to Americans suffering economic harm because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

An indictment accuses Preston Randall of fraudulently obtaining $620,000 in pandemic loans and $17,906 in disability payments.

Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Thomas P. Barber has sentenced Mehdi Tazi (29, Tampa) to five years in federal prison for conspiracy to commit wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, and a substantive count of aggravated identity theft. Tazi entered a guilty plea on February 2, 2024. As part of his sentence, the court also ordered Tazi to pay $1,070,647 in restitution, jointly with his co-conspirators who were previously sentenced for the below listed offenses.

A Joplin, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for two fraud schemes, totaling nearly $300,000, including fraudulent loans under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act and a so-called “transaction reversal” bank scheme.

Jacksonville, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the return of an indictment charging James Elliott Davis II (35, Ponte Vedra Beach) with 16 counts of bank fraud, 12 counts of wire fraud, and 1 count of money laundering and theft of mail. If convicted, Davis faces up to 30 years in federal prison for each count of bank fraud, up to 20 years in prison for each count of wire fraud, up to 10 years in prison for the money laundering count, up to 5 years’ imprisonment on the theft of mail count, and payment of restitution to the victims he defrauded.