Reports

Fort Myers, Florida – United States Attorney Maria Chapa Lopez announces the arrest and unsealing of a criminal complaint charging Casey David Crowther (35, Fort Myers) with making a false statement to a lending institution. If convicted, Crowther faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in federal prison.

The City has established and implemented several disaster management plans – including a Pandemic Influenza Preparedness Plan. Still, additional considerations in these plans would ensure the City is more prepared for potential future pandemics.

The objective of these assessments is to help the City prepare for State and Federal audits of the City’s use of emergency funding. This includes proactive and real-time assistance in complying with regulatory requirements, securing reimbursements, tracking disaster recovery costs, and evaluating whether funds are being used efficiently and effectively.

Since March 2020, the restaurant industry has been hit very hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. Mandatory closures, stay-at-home and social distancing orders, the onset of a severe economic recession, and travel restrictions have resulted in unprecedented upheaval for the industry. As a result, many restaurants and bars have closed or significantly reduced their operations. Since these establishments often operate on tight margins in the best of times, there are growing fears that many will be forced to close permanently if financial support is not forthcoming.

In March and April 2020, Congress passed four stimulus bills to address the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on the public health system and the economy. As Congress debates additional relief measures, it is worth reviewing the targeting of the initial funding in order to inform new policy to counter the virus and its economic effects. In the third stimulus bill, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act, Congress appropriated $150 billion to the Coronavirus Relief Fund (CRF) to provide direct funding to state and local governments. The use of CRF funds is restricted to...

A Michigan man was arrested today in connection with a wire fraud scheme involving $3.1 million in Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans guaranteed by the Small Business Administration (SBA) under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.