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OKLAHOMA CITY – Earlier this week, BRIAN LEE FOSTER, 54, of Norman, Oklahoma, was sentenced to serve two years in prison for his role in a Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security ("CARES") Act fraud scheme, announced U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester.

Jeffrey Bearden, age 47, of Hagerstown, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to making a false statement on a loan application relating to the submission of fraudulent CARES Act loan applications. The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (“CARES”) Act was a federal law enacted in March 2020 to provide emergency financial assistance to Americans suffering from the economic effects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

LAS VEGAS – A Nevada man was sentenced yesterday to two years and four months in prison for fraudulently obtaining over $500,000 in Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program loans that the Small Business Administration (SBA) guaranteed under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, and then laundering the money through family, friends, and others.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office, together with federal and local law enforcement partners, announced today federal criminal charges as part of the Department of Justice’s ongoing initiative to prosecute fraud in connection with COVID-19 pandemic relief programs that offered assistance under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, including the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program, as well as other crimes relating to the pandemic.

A federal grand jury in the Western District of Tennessee returned an indictment yesterday charging 10 individuals for their roles in schemes to defraud the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program and the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), federal stimulus programs authorized as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.

NEWARK, N.J. – Two men and one woman of Middlesex County, New Jersey, have pleaded guilty on separate charges related to their roles in fraudulently obtaining over $2.1 million in federal Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans and Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL).

CINCINNATI– A man who filed for relief under the Paycheck Protection Program and fraudulently claimed that he was running a business during the time he was incarcerated was sentenced in U.S. District Court today to 12 months and one day in prison.

Port Richey, Florida-based automotive management company Victory Automotive Group Inc. (VAG) has agreed to pay $9 million to resolve allegations that it violated the False Claims Act (FCA) by knowingly providing false information in support of a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan forgiveness application it submitted.

Jaswinder Bhangoo, 50, of Bakersfield, pleaded guilty today to stealing $163,750 in COVID-19 relief money.