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“Today, George Santos was finally held accountable for the mountain of lies, theft, and fraud he perpetrated. For the defendant, it was judgment day, and for his many victims including campaign donors, political parties, government agencies, elected bodies, his own family members, and his constituents, it is justice,” stated U.S. Attorney Durham. “To Mr. Santos and other dishonest individuals of that ilk, who lie, steal identities and commit frauds to get elected to public office, this prosecution speaks to the truth that my Office is committed to aggressively rooting out public corruption and...

A United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer has been arrested on a five-count federal grand jury indictment alleging he fraudulently obtained nearly $150,000 in COVID-19 pandemic business-relief loan funds for two of his sham businesses, the Justice Department announced today.

A Columbia, Mo., man who ran a scheme to defraud insurance companies through staged accidents and who fraudulently applied for COVID-19 relief funds was sentenced in federal court today for conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud and aggravated identity theft.

Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe announces that Denys Perez (31, Tampa) has pleaded guilting to wire fraud related to COVID relief funds. Perez faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison. In addition, he faces a forfeiture order of $502,900, as well as a forfeiture order for the property he purchased with proceeds of his offense. A sentencing date has not yet been set.

Baltimore, Maryland – Today, Chief U.S. District Judge George L. Russell, III, sentenced Ryan E. Dales, 36, of Baltimore, to 26 years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release. Dales, a previously convicted felon, was charged with unlawfully possessing a firearm as a felon, possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, wire fraud, and aggravated identity theft.

Jacksonville, Florida – United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe announces that Larry E. Denson, Jr. (31, Jacksonville) has pleaded guilty to wire fraud involving COVID relief fraud through the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). Denson faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in federal prison and payment of restitution to the United State government. Denson has also agreed to forfeit $18,190, the proceeds of the charged criminal offense. A sentencing date has not yet been set.

GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA – Sean Walker, 34, of High Springs, Florida, was sentenced to 42 months in federal prison for wire fraud in connection with COVID-19 relief fraud. The sentence was announced by Michelle Spaven, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.

PROVIDENCE – Four Florida residents convicted in U.S. District Court in Rhode Island for executing one of the largest schemes in the country to defraud Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act programs, including in Rhode Island, have been sentenced to federal prison, announced Acting United States Attorney Sara Miron Bloom.

Cortney Merritts, 46, of St. Louis, Missouri, was charged today by federal indictment with two counts of wire fraud for allegedly filing fraudulent applications with the Small Business Administration in 2020 and 2021 that allowed him to collect more than $20,000 in government funds under the Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program (EIDL) and Paycheck Protection Program (PPP).

Greenbelt, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Lydia K. Griggsby sentenced Andra Shirone Thompson, 48, of Silver Spring, Maryland, to a year and a day for two counts of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Thompson pled guilty to conspiring to defraud Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act loan programs and his role in a years-long scheme to defraud commercial equipment financing companies

ROANOKE, Va. – A Roanoke woman, who conspired with dozens of other individuals to commit wire fraud as part of a scheme to defraud the Paycheck Protection Program, pled guilty yesterday in U.S. District Court in Roanoke.

Tampa, Florida – Acting United States Attorney Sara C. Sweeney announces the indictment and arrest of Terrence Bradford (46, Tampa) for eight counts of wire fraud related to COVID relief funds. If convicted, Bradford faces up to 20 years in federal prison on each count. In addition, he faces a forfeiture order of $533,648.32, which represents the alleged proceeds he obtained through these offenses.

Brianna Bell-Maple, Jemyla Bell, and Leiah Vaughn each pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud.

Kalynn Fields, 34, of Baltimore, Maryland, pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in connection with filing false and misleading information in order to reap $35,000 in Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDLs) and Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans.

Diarra Williams and Nicholas Warford were indicted with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, six counts of wire fraud, one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering and one count of obstruction of an official proceeding.

ATLANTA - Brian H. Sperber and Edmond S. Norkus have received prison sentences for conspiring to commit wire fraud in a scheme in which the men tricked expectant purchasers of personal protective equipment out of more than $14 million.

Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennett, today, sentenced Joseph Gillespie, age 35, of Baltimore City, Maryland, to four years in federal prison and three years of supervised release in connection with a bribery scheme and conspiracy to commit wire fraud scheme involving COVID-19 CARES Act relief benefits.

LAS VEGAS – A Las Vegas woman pleaded guilty yesterday to carrying out a scheme to fraudulently obtain more than $137,000 from the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance Program (PUA), the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), and the Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program (EIDL).

Earlier today, at the federal court in Brooklyn, an indictment was unsealed charging Julio Medina, Christopher Dantzler and Weihong Hu with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, honest-services wire fraud, money laundering conspiracy, conspiracy to violate the Travel Act and the use of a facility of interstate commerce in aid of commercial bribery.

A Collin County man and a Floridian have been convicted of federal violations related to a COVID fraud scheme in the Eastern District of Texas, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Abe McGlothin, Jr.

BOSTON – Former Massachusetts State Senator Dean A. Tran was sentenced today in federal court in Boston for scheming to defraud the Massachusetts Department of Unemployment Assistance and collecting income that he failed to report to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).

Mark Ethan Jermain submitted three false and fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program loan applications from the Slovak Republic.

Royce Newcomb, 62, of Fresno, pleaded guilty today to wire fraud and money laundering charges today for a long-running fraud scheme where he stole $4.2 million from investors, lenders, and the federal government.

Tacoma – The second of two Nigerian men residing in Canada who defrauded pandemic aid programs of millions was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Tacoma to 54 months in prison for wire fraud and aggravated identity theft announced U.S. Attorney Tessa M. Gorman.

An Orange County man and part-time actor was sentenced today to 98 months in federal prison for soliciting investors in companies that marketed what in fact were a bogus cure and treatment for COVID-19 during the pandemic’s early days.

Darmani Hawkins, 21, of Aurora, was sentenced to 60 months in prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and mail fraud; conspiracy to commit bank fraud; and mail theft as part of schemes to fraudulently obtain COVID-era state unemployment benefits and, separately, to steal checks from the mail, alter them, and deposit them.

An indictment accuses Steven Hendren of submitting fraudulent applications for rental assistance to the Missouri Housing Development Commission.

Seattle – A 31-year-old Seattle man pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Seattle to two counts of wire fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft for three different fraud schemes between 2019 and 2022, announced U.S. Attorney Tessa M. Gorman.

HONOLULU – On December 12, 2024, a federal grand jury returned an eight-count indictment against Kaiaulani C. Kaiawe, also known as Coty K. Duhaylongsod, 46, of Kapaa, Hawaii, charging Kaiawe with wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, and money laundering in connection with fraudulent claims for pandemic-related rental and utility assistance.

BOSTON – The operator of numerous sober homes in Massachusetts, who also operated insulation companies receiving funds through the Mass Save Program, pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court in Boston to his involvement in four different fraud schemes involving sober homes in the Greater Boston area, the Mass Save Program, mortgage lenders and a federal loan program that assisted businesses during the COVID-19 Pandemic