payments for travel, vehicles, and home office expenses) can also create risk. Andre Gainess sentencing is set for October 6, 2021 before Judge J.P. Boulee. - Federal Lawyer We Will Protect Your Rights, Reputation and Freedom. Richard Ayvazyan, Marietta Terabelian, Artur Ayvazyan, Tamara Dadyan were charged in a complaint claiming they conspired together as part of a disaster relief loan fraud ring based in Los Angeles. bank fraud, making false statements to an FDIC-insured financial institution, or making false statements to the SBA). Allegedly he submitted fake IRS 1099 Forms containing worker social security numbers that were invalid. Members of the public are reminded that the indictment only contains charges. 2023 www.onlineathens.com. Our Office will remain relentless in the pursuit of fraudsters who seek to exploit SBAs vital economic programs. References to a particular city or state other than Dallas, Houston, and Texas in any article or anywhere on this website does NOT mean that Firm maintains an office in that location, and it does NOT mean that Firm has attorneys physically located in that city or state. I appreciate your consideration/guidance/help/time. Another source of relief from the March 2020 CARES Act is the PPP which allows qualifying small businesses and other organizations to receive PPP loans to pay payroll costs, interest on mortgages, rent, and utilities. Unfortunately, the owners of Victoria Nails & Spa saw this program as their own personal piggy bank.. The impact of COVID-19 on small businesses around the country has been devastating, said Acting U.S. Attorney Kurt R. Erskine. He allegedly transferred a quarter million dollars of proceeds to his personal brokerage account. She is alleged to have obtained nearly $600,000. Secure .gov websites use HTTPS Miami Wannabe Farmers (Florida August 26), 40. Kindambu made some expensive personal purchases that authorities say were not permissable under the loan terms, including the plane the Lexus. Gaines is set to be sentenced on October 6. Tranesha Quarterman, 33, of Atlanta, Georgia. Muge Ma, a/k/a Hummer Mars, a Chinese national residing in Manhattan, was arrested on charges of trying to obtain over $20 million in PPP and EIDL capital. Are you or your company at risk for facing allegations of PPP loan fraud? Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans have aided more than 5.2 million small business owners, providing a much-needed lifeline during the Coronavirus outbreak crisis. Eight other defendants include Damion O. Mckenzie, Andre M. Clark, Keyaira Bostic, Wyleia Nashon Williams, James R. Stote, and Ross Charno, all of Florida. Jesika Blakely, 34, of Atlanta, Georgia, is charged with conspiracy to commit bank fraud and wire fraud, bank fraud, wire fraud, false statements to a federally insured financial institution, and money laundering in connection with her involvement in several businesses loans. In many cases, this will require more than merely recording the transaction itself. The defendants are charged with using fake and stolen identifies to apply for 35 CARES Act loans. Federal authorities claim they used some of the coronavirus pandemic funds to buy luxury automobiles. He allegedly blew through about $200,000 in Las Vegas casinos, where he was caught on surveillance cameras at a Bellagio blackjack table. The Justice Department alleges that George submitted identical wage information and employee count records for two separate companies, one of which was out of business since 2015. Goldstein allegedly transferred $355,000 in his personal bank account. Oberheiden P.C. Surely the government does a personal credit check on the owner unless he falsified his identity. Millions of dollars of coronavirus relief funds meant to keep employees on the payroll were instead blown on extravagant personal spending sprees all by a relatively small handful of people. Atlanta, GA 30303-3309. However, in conjunction with the submission of an EIDL application, by having clicked on and checked a box within the on-line application, an applicant could request and then receive up to $10,000.00, an EIDL Advance which did not have to be repaid. Steven R. Goldstein and his business partner, Raymond Magana are charged with applying for $2.5 million in loans and actually receiving over $1.95 million. And for how much? The pair allegedly received $97,800 and $125,900 respectively. To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. He also allegedly squandered cash at luxury retailers and Miami resorts. Victor Montgomery, 43, of Washington, D.C.. Some of them operated as crime rings as part of the PPP loan fraud schemes they were committing. Brenizer was out on other criminal charges at the time, but he allegedly applied under another persons name. Former Catholic Archdiocese Employee (Washington, D.C. August 11), 35. Want to know if your employer got aPaycheck Protection Planor PPP loan? The defendants allegedly participated in an extensive nationwide scheme in exchange for illegal kickbacks of portions of the loan proceeds, said Acting Assistant Attorney General Brian C. Rabbitt of the Justice Departments Criminal Division in a statement. Another report by the SBA OIG found tens of thousands of examples of companies that received PPP loans ineligibly. Our searchable databaseallows users to look up dollar allotments by industry, and lenders. He allegedly lied about his criminal past, and submitted fake tax documents including names of people who did not work for the businesses. All rights reserved. They have fewer than 500 employees, qualify as a small business concern under Section 3 of the Small Business Act, or meet one of the limited number of other PPP eligibility standards; and, Their owners are eligible to participate in SBA programs such as the PPP (i.e. Someone we know got 4 PPP loans, all under diff businesses, but almost certain he submitted all the same ppwk for each business. Luckily, the Feds have recovered a large part of the loan proceeds already, although millions is forever gone. Dr. Nick Oberheiden, founder of Oberheiden P.C., focuses his litigation practice on white-collar criminal defense, government investigations, SEC & FCPA enforcement, and commercial litigation. A pair of Georgia businesses are in hot water over fraud allegations related to their PPP loans. Secure .gov websites use HTTPS To support these payroll figures, each businesss loan application was accompanied by an Internal Revenue Service Form 941, which employers use to report payroll taxes, for each quarter of 2019 and by a bank statement or a spreadsheet reflecting payroll expenses. Or do you want to know whichcompanies got taxpayer-fundedloans? With few case-by-case exceptions, Firm's practice is limited to matters and questions of federal law and federal procedure. Dwan Ashong a/k/a Dwan Gilpin, 40, of Jacksonville, Florida, is charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, and money laundering in connection with her involvement in several businesses loans. So far, six people, including the schemes mastermind, Darrell Thomas, have pleaded guilty. He then went on a luxury buying blitz acquiring a Lamborghini Urus, a Rolex watch, a 2020 Ford F-350 pickup truck, and real estate according to allegations. James McFarland, 56, of Atlanta, Georgia. A locked padlock Here are 10 red flags for PPP loan fraud: Companies are required to make a number of affirmative representations during the PPP loan application process. If so, how do I go about it? Man Charged with Identity Theft (Florida August 10), 34. Our searchable database allows users to look up dollar allotments by industry, and lenders. Meghan Thomas, 32, of Alpharetta, Georgia, is charged with conspiracy to commit bank fraud and wire fraud, bank fraud, wire fraud, and false statements to a federally insured financial institution in connection with her involvement in several businesses loans. Authorities allege he bought a company on the Internet in May with no employees, and then forged documents to claim he had paid millions in payroll taxes in 2019. Search our database that is tracking this information. No. Darrell Thomas, 35, of Duluth, Georgia, pleaded guilty on June 16, 2021 to one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud and wire fraud and one count of money laundering. The former manager of the San Francisco Hilton allegedly embezzled from the hotel in a kickback scheme going back to 2013. 18, 2021 at 12:18 PM EDT | Updated : Jun. He also agreed to forfeit various assets, including more than $2.1 million in seized funds, three luxury vehicles a 2018 Mercedes-Benz S-Class S65AMG, a 2018 Land Rover Range Rover, and a 2017 Acura NSX and several items of jewelry, including a gold Rolex. 43. IRS-CI will continue to help illuminate these criminal deeds with our financial expertise., The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration aggressively pursues those who endeavor to defraud programs afforded to the American people under the CARES Act, said J. Russell George, the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration. Federal auditors and investigators will view these types of activities with skepticism, and as potential evidence of an attempt to either fraudulently obtain a PPP loan or use PPP loan funds for unauthorized purposes. A Cessna Aircraft and a Lexus (Virginia October 20), 59. Following a nine-day trial, Ahamefule Aso Odus has been convicted by a federal jury on 12 counts of money laundering stemming from his role in a massive money laundering operation Northern District of Georgia A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. ) or https:// means youve safely connected to the .gov website. Jase DePaul Gautreaux aka Jase Dixon, a funeral director in Houston, is charged with seeking $13 million in loans and ultimately receiving over $1.6 million. You can search and filter the list, but only flagged loans will be shown. Celestine Coletta Strong, Jawuan Polk, Patrick Earl Lewis, and Tyzhaun Marqui Lewis were charged in connection with a scheme to fraudulently obtain PPP funds. She allegedly submitted fake IRS form 940 filings (showing employment taxes claimed to be paid) for her company, Heavenly Tahoe Properties. Whoa! Go big or go home could be the motto here. In such a case, a client will sign an engagement exclusively with the Local Counsel. In April he allegedly obtained a PPP loan of $1.7 million by falsely certifying that GMP Cars had staff for whom it paid salaries and payroll taxes. Where: The Bank of America PPP loans class action was filed in a California federal court. Ex-Microsoft Executive (Washington July 23), 28. The applications stated that each business had between 59 and 69 employees in February 2020 and averaged approximately $295,000 to $342,000 in monthly payroll expenses. The Department suggests that "criminal rings" are orchestrating this fraud, without providing any real details. You can also check to see how many workers companies receiving the assistance said they kept on the payroll. We will work tirelessly to protect the integrity of the EIDL and PPP and to help small businesses stay afloat.. On March 27, 2020, Congress passed and President Trump signed into law the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, andEconomic Security(CARES)Act authorizing the low-interest, forgivable loans. Tristan Bishop Pan was charged for allegedly seeking $6 million in Paycheck Protection Program loan. The complaint states they received loans of $450,000 and some of the proceeds were allegedly used to purchase a Mercedes E400. Law enforcement assisting in the investigation included the Small Business Administration OIG office, the FBI, FDIC and others. Atlanta, GA 30303-3309. They are accused of using the cash for personal purchases including a Mercedes-Benz S-Class S65AMG and a Land Rover Range Rover. PPP2 started accepting applications on January 11, 2021. Man Couldnt Keep His 19 Fraudulent Applications Straight (Michigan September 1), 44. Researchers estimate that $76 billion in PPP loan money was taken illicitly. Hubert Ivan Ugarte of Draper, with the assistance of Lisa Bradshaw Rowberry of Provo are charged with fraudulently obtaining a PPP loan of $210,000. According to U.S. Attorney James Kennedy, Mr. NOTICE: Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes; attorney advertising. Lock Manhattan Businessman (New York May 21), 6. Obtaining more than one PPP loan (or stacking PPP loans) is prohibited, and companies that applied with multiple lenders could face allegations for attempting to stack PPP loans. Joshua Thomas Argires of Houston was arrested on various fraud charges. He also agreed to forfeit various assets, including more than $2.1 million in seized funds, three luxury vehicles a 2018 Mercedes-Benz S-Class S65AMG, a 2018 Land Rover Range Rover, and a 2017 Acura NSX and several items of jewelry, including a gold Rolex. Allegations also claim he perpetrated a credit card scam on low-income patients by getting them to pay for medical expenses for services he did not fully render. 1349, individuals and companies charged with attempt can face the same penalties that apply to the successful completion of a criminal offense (i.e. Under the CARES Act, companies are only eligible to receive one PPP loan from one lender at a time. Charmaine Redding, pleaded guilty on July 14, 2021 to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud in connection with the loan obtained by her business, All Star Room and Board Services of Michigan Inc. Reddings sentencing is set for October 21, 2021 before Judge J.P. Boulee. 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