Reports

BOSTON – A Boston man was sentenced on Nov. 15, 2024 for fraud and false statements charges in connection with a scheme to fraudulently obtain pandemic-related relief funds from the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) made available under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act.

On Nov. 15, Conrad Brandon Bernard, 24, pled guilty in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., to committing bank fraud and identity theft during a scheme to fraudulently obtain over $1 million in Covid-19 relief loans and unemployment compensation payments.

LAS VEGAS – A Las Vegas woman pleaded guilty today to using a California Employment Development Department (EDD) unemployment insurance benefits debit card in another person’s name without the person’s authorization.

Over 5,300 lenders, including bank and non-bank lenders, participated in the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), an $813.7 billion program that provided forgivable loans to eligible borrowers. The primary distinction between the two is that non-bank lenders are not federally regulated. Both were allowed to partner with third-party service providers to assist in the PPP loan process. We assessed the U.S. Small Business Administration’s (SBA) oversight of non-bank lenders, including financial technology (fintech), and third-party service providers in the PPP. Opportunities exist for SBA to...

A North Carolina woman was indicted by a federal grand jury today for fraudulently obtaining a $20,000 Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.

Henry Ellard Jr., 39, of Fresno, pleaded guilty today to stealing $144,000 in COVID-19 relief money.