Search

NEW ORLEANS – U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that SHANIQUA PAGE WILSON (“WILSON”), age 33, a resident of Laurel, Maryland, was sentenced on April 24, 2024, by United States District Judge Jane Triche Milazzo to four years of probation after previously pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 371 and 1343. The charges stem from WILSON’s role in preparing and filing false applications for loans related to the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act). Judge Milazzo also ordered WILSON to pay $104,160...

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

CINCINNATI – A federal grand jury has indicted Richard Opoku Agyemang, 40, of Cincinnati, in connection with a romance-fraud conspiracy allegedly involving more than $2 million in loss to dozens of victims.

BOSTON – A Florida man pleaded guilty yesterday in U.S. District Court in Boston to conspiring to use stolen identities to fraudulently obtain disaster loans from the Small Business Administration (SBA) and to launder the funds.

Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that ALICIA AYERS and ANDREA AYERS were sentenced today to two years in prison followed by six months of home confinement and 42 months in prison, respectively, for conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, and making false statements in connection with a scheme to defraud the U.S. Small Business Administration (“SBA”), resulting in a loss to the SBA of approximately $1.7 million.

An indictment was unsealed today in the Southern District of Florida charging three men for their alleged roles in an approximately $36 million health care fraud, wire fraud, and money laundering scheme that involved submitting false and fraudulent claims for COVID-19 testing to health care benefit programs, including Medicare and the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) COVID-19 Uninsured Program.

An indictment was unsealed today in the Southern District of Florida charging three men for their alleged roles in an approximately $36 million health care fraud, wire fraud, and money laundering scheme that involved submitting false and fraudulent claims for COVID-19 testing to health care benefit programs, including Medicare and the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) COVID-19 Uninsured Program.

A Deepwater, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for fraudulently obtaining more than $500,000 in Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.

A Florida attorney has been sentenced to federal prison and ordered to pay restitution for participating in a scheme to illegally obtain funding from a federal COVID-19 small business relief program.

CAMDEN, N.J. – Three individuals were indicted for their roles in fraudulently obtaining approximately $5 million of federal Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans and Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) and for laundering the loan proceeds.

NEWARK, NJ. – Two New York men today admitted conspiring with others to defraud dozens of states to obtain millions of dollars of COVID-19 unemployment benefits; one of the defendants also admitted to fentanyl conspiracy and distribution and conspiring to defraud the IRS of tax credit benefits.

Earlier today, at the federal courthouse in Central Islip, Donald Finley, a Locust Valley businessman and owner of the now-defunct Jekyll & Hyde theme restaurant in Manhattan and the Bayville Adventure Park on Long Island, was sentenced by United States District Judge Joan M. Azrack to 24 months in prison. Finley pleaded guilty in May 2023 to disaster relief fraud and wire fraud in connection with his receipt of $3.2 million dollars in small business loans under the Paycheck Protection Program and Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program.

Camille Foster admitted obtaining five Paycheck Protection Program loans for a total of $104,163.

Brianna Bell-Maple, Jemyla Bell, and Leiah Vaughn have been accused of fraudulently obtaining $229,000 via 11 pandemic loans in 2021.

A woman from the Mid-City area of Los Angeles pleaded guilty today to fraudulently obtaining more than $2 million in COVID-19 government loans and to submitting false claims in an unsuccessful effort to secure from the IRS nearly $1.3 million in pandemic-related tax credits.

BOSTON – A Plymouth man has been arrested and charged with wire fraud in connection with fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan applications on behalf of business entities he owned and controlled.

BOSTON – A Brockton man was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Boston for a scheme to submit false applications to obtain Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program (EIDL) funds through the Small Business Administration (SBA) that were made available under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.

BOSTON – The owner of Stash’s Pizza, who is currently facing alleged federal forced labor charges, has been indicted by a grand jury in Boston for allegedly submitting false information to the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) to obtain a loan on behalf of a business he no longer owned.

COLUMBUS, Ohio – A Columbus man who estimated he filed more than 3,000 fraudulent COVID-relief applications was sentenced in U.S. District Court today to 72 months in prison.

A federal grand jury in Cleveland returned a 13-count indictment charging two individuals for their alleged roles in a scheme to fraudulently obtain approximately $4.2 million in COVID-19 relief funds guaranteed by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. Joseph Oloyede, 61, of Medina, Ohio and Edward Oluwasanmi, 61, of Willoughby, Ohio are charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, and money laundering offenses.

A Nevada man with a lengthy criminal history was sentenced to federal prison today for stealing more than $163,000 in Covid relief program funds while on supervised release for two separate state criminal convictions

JOHN MATAVA, 60, of Coventry, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Kari A. Dooley in Bridgeport to 24 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for offenses related to his receipt of COVID-19 relief funds.

Tulsa, Oklahoma – Today, U.S. District Judge Gregory K. Frizzell sentenced Malcolm Andre Jones, 32, of Broken Arrow, to 27 months imprisonment, followed by 3 years of supervised release for Wire Fraud. Judge Frizzell further ordered Jones to pay $20,665 in restitution.

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Three Tooele County residents accused of running a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan fraud ring will appear before a U.S. Magistrate Judge today following a federal indictment. The indictment, returned by a grand jury on Feb. 28, 2024, includes charges of wire fraud and aiding and abetting during the COVID-19 pandemic.

BOSTON – A Haverhill man was arrested and charged today in connection with a Massachusetts Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) claim he filed in 2020 for a man who was living in Brazil and who has since been charged with migrant smuggling, among other offenses.

NEWARK, N.J. – A Florida man was sentenced today to 42 months in prison for illegally obtaining more than $1.5 million in government benefits.

DENVER – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado announces Tarek Kassem, 63, of Parker, Colorado, was indicted by a federal grand jury for wire fraud and money laundering.

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – A Utah County businessman was arrested today after he was indicted by a federal grand jury in Salt Lake City on March 20, 2024, for wire fraud. Robert Blake Molling, 41, of Lehi, Utah, is accused of fraudulently obtaining over $1.8 million in federal government disaster relief funds.

A federal grand jury returned a 58-count superseding indictment Thursday adding new charges for Shahrir “Sean” Loloee, 53, of Granite Bay, and charging Sacramento residents Mirwais Shams, 36, and Ahmad “Shah” Shams, 29, for their participation in the fraud conspiracy.

U.S. District Judge Deborah K. Chasanow sentenced Njuh Valentine Fombe, a/k/a “Valentine”, age 37, a Cameroonian citizen, formerly residing in Beltsville, Maryland, today to 12 years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for conspiracies to commit wire fraud and money laundering, and for aggravated identity theft, in connection with a business email compromise fraud scheme with intended losses of more than $2 million. Based on court documents and evidence presented during Fombe’s sentencing, the Court also found that Fombe engaged in a pandemic-related unemployment...

Ocala, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the arrest of Nicole Harding (38, Clermont) on an indictment charging her with one count of wire fraud. If convicted, Harding faces up to 20 years in federal prison.

NEW ORLEANS – U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that LYNN SCHOFIELD, age 60, a resident of LaPlace, La., was sentenced on March 19, 2024 by United States District Judge Wendy B. Vitter to twelve (12) months in prison, with six (6) months to be spent in home detention, after previously pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 371 and 1343. Judge Vitter also sentenced SCHOFIELD to three (3) years of supervised release and ordered her to repay $282,650 in restitution to the Small Business Administration (“SBA”). SCHOFIELD...

Tampa, FL – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the unsealing of an indictment charging Willie F. Murray, Jr. (55, West Park, FL) with six counts of wire fraud and three counts of aggravated identity theft. If convicted, Murray faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison for each wire fraud count followed by a consecutive two years of imprisonment for each aggravated identity theft count. The indictment also notifies Murray that the United States intends to forfeit $5,671,611.74 in U.S. currency, $1,578,925.56 from a bank account, and seven real properties located in...

Terrence L. Pounds, 47, of Holland, Ohio was sentenced to 94 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Pamela Barker after earlier pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud and money laundering. He was also ordered to pay $4,239,940.43 to the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) and serve 3 years of supervised release.

Abuse of public benefits programs, particularly shameful when those defrauding the government are public servants, will not be tolerated and not forgotten with the passage of time from the darkest days of the COVID-19 pandemic,” stated United States Attorney Peace. “The defendants’ theft of relief money, despite holding jobs with good salaries and benefits, so they could purchase real estate, cryptocurrency and pay off credit card bills with the stolen funds, is deserving of jail sentences. This Office and our agency partners will continue working to bring to justice those fraudsters who take...

Tampa, FL –United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that a federal jury has found Alexander Alli (39, Riverview) guilty of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and two counts of wire fraud. Alli faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison on each count. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for June 10, 2024. Alli was indicted on January 18, 2023.

“This defendant used fraud and deceit on an extraordinary scale to exploit government programs designed to keep struggling small businesses afloat during an unprecedented public health crisis,” stated United States Attorney Peace. “Today’s sentence sends a strong message to all those who saw the public response to the COVID-19 pandemic as little more than a get-rich-quick scheme: this Office will find you and prosecute you to the fullest extent of the law.”

BOSTON – A Stoughton pleaded guilty yesterday to fraudulently obtaining COVID-19-related small business loans from several financial institutions.

Tacoma – A 45-year-old Nigerian citizen who defrauded U.S. COVID relief programs from his home in Canada, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Tacoma to 42 months in prison for wire fraud and aggravated identity theft announced U.S. Attorney Tessa M. Gorman.

Seattle – A 62-year-old Seattle woman was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Seattle to 52 consecutive weekends (208 days) of confinement at FDC-SeaTac beginning on March 22, 2024 as a special condition of a 3-year term of supervision for her scheme to steal nearly half a million dollars in COVID 19 benefits, announced U.S. Attorney Tessa M. Gorman.

Raisha Kelly, 43, and Widny Thibaud, 44, of Loxahatchee, Florida and Cortira Gray, 33, and Ann Gilchrist, 55 of Miami, Florida have been charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud wire fraud in connection with their submission of false and fraudulent PPP loan applications.

Two former City of Miami Police Department (MPD) employees pled guilty for their involvement in separate COVID-19 relief fraud cases.