ppp loan frauds list in georgiappp loan frauds list in georgia

Where: The Bank of America PPP loans class action was filed in a California federal court. Its alleged they falsely claimed to have dozens of workers at 4 different businesses, including a restaurant neither owned. SBA partner banks initially approved 11 of the fraudulent PPP loans Lawson submitted and ultimately paid . I was eventually permanently laid off at the end of June. After the fraudulent loans were paid out by the SBA or partner banks, the co-conspirators completed their scheme by allegedly paying Quarterman a fee from the proceeds of the fraudulent loans which she would split with Lawson. He got $5.6 million and sent hundreds of thousands of dollars to Pakistan accounts, and paid for luxury items. Through August 8, 2020, when the first Paycheck Protection Program PPP program closed, the SBA approved 5,212,128 loans. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. You can search and filter the list, but only flagged loans will be shown. The two allegedly worked together on the scheme (mighty neighborly of them!). Along with Lawson and Quarterman, the federal indictment includes: Charges against the named co-conspirators include various counts of bank fraud, mail fraud, wire fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and money laundering for a total of approximately $714,000, prosecutors said. bank fraud, making false statements to an FDIC-insured financial institution, or making false statements to the SBA). Meet Goyal, MD, an ophthalmologist in Rye, New York, was under indictment for healthcare fraud. Applied for PPP Loan While out on Bail (Tennessee November 9), 64. Miles allegedly used the gains to purchase a Bentley and Cadillac, and withdrew hundreds of thousands of dollars. Subscribe to The Federal Docket to keep on top of recent cases and important developments in federal criminal law. Case data source and image source: Justice.gov. 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. 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. These purposes include the payment of payroll and related expenses, the payment of insurance premiums, the payment of rent and mortgage interest under pre-existing obligations, and the payment of business utility bills. Richard B. Russell Federal Building Benjamin Hayford is charged with fraud for seeking $4.4 million in PPP financing. All rights reserved. One was on behalf of a company called Texas Barbecue and the other called Houston Landscaping. Allegedly he submitted fake IRS 1099 Forms containing worker social security numbers that were invalid. Call 888-680-1745 for Central Intake with Dr. Nick Oberheiden Criminal Law & Process, PPP fraud What are the Red Flags for PPP Loan Fraud? This is based on the adage that where there is smoke, there is fire if someone seems concerned about what might be found, there is usually a reason why. Postal Inspection Services and the Drug Enforcement Administration of methamphetamine hidden in dog food and shipped to one of the defendants led to the discovery of details of people in Houston, the Washington, D.C.-Metro area, and Metro Atlanta involved in a scheme to defraud the government of money through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. 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. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts, For more information on the Departments response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus. Sadleir was Executive Producer on films like, Baoke Zhang, a software engineer at ride share company Lyft, is charged with wire and bank fraud. Have a question about Government Services? He is alleged to have bought a $400,000 house with taxpayer funds. Cherry was on supervised release in an unrelated federal case when he applied to the Small Business Administration program. FBI Assistant Director William F. Sweeney Jr said: The benefits offered by the CARES Act for PPP loans were established to help small business owners survive during the pandemic. Authorities allege they falsely claimed to be farmers in the yards of their small homes. He allegedly bought a 2020 Mercedes and a special edition Ford F-250 pickup truck, and wired $537,000 to a property management company in south Florida. We have not conducted an exhaustive review of every sentence that federal courts have already imposed in PPP loan fraud cases as of November 15, 2021. See the SBA website for updated forgiveness information. The U.S. Department of Justice say that approximately $11.1 million in PPP loans were taken and the funds were then used to buy luxury vehicles, jewelry, and other personal items. For federal authorities such as the SBA-OIG and the DOJ, this includes suspect activity from any and all company personnel who are involved in responding to the governments inquiry; and, for companies, this includes evasiveness from employees during internal PPP compliance investigations. Firm's lawyers are only licensed to practice state law in the states mentioned in their respective biographies. Surely the government does a personal credit check on the owner unless he falsified his identity. While egregious and clear misuse of PPP loan funds presents a clear risk, expenditures that blend business and personal purposes (i.e. Didier Kindambu is facing charges that he falsified payroll documentation to $2.5 million. The above numbers are through January 2021, and new instances are being announced regularly. He allegedly was caught on camera withdrawing cash. Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Ethan P. Davis noted in a June 26th speech: When the borrower is ready to seek forgiveness of the loan, it has to certify that the funds were in fact used to pay costs that are eligible for forgiveness. Whoa! Indeed, some of the supporting documents the businesses submitted were substantively identical, including identical Form 941s, identical bank statements, and W2 payroll spreadsheets where the reported figures were identical but purported employee names had been changed. Then turns around and starts writing checks to Lamborghini dealerships. Acting U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss said, Goyal allegedly looted over $630,000 in federal funds earmarked for legitimate small businesses in dire financial straits.. The charges reinforce our resolve to prosecute anyone who used pandemic relief funds for personal gain., So many businesses needed federal emergency assistance to stay afloat during a pandemic, and these defendants allegedly misdirected millions of dollars of that assistance money to their own pockets for luxury items, said Chris Hacker, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. The charges allege he applied several times to get aid totaling $3 million, in the names of businesses with no actual operations. Authorities also claim he lost $500,000 on risky stock market trades. Days later he allegedly bought a 2020 Lamborghini Huracan sports car for $318,000. The case was investigated by the FBI and SBA-OIG. Ophthalmologist Already Under Indictment (New York June 24), 19. Our Office will remain relentless in the pursuit of fraudsters who seek to exploit SBAs vital economic programs. Postal Inspectors are committed to aggressively pursuing investigations in which the U.S. Mails are used to facilitate criminal schemes.In August 2020, DEA and Postal inspectors tracking drugs mailed to the Fayetteville home of 38-year-old Alicia Quarterman found a written ledger with personal and banking information for several individuals, prosecutors said. The federal Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) is subject to a whole host of rules and restrictions. Once Quarterman and her co-conspirator, Katrina Lawson, who is a former deputy sheriff for Fulton County, Georgia and is still a certified peace officer, became familiar with the requirements and applications for the EIDL program and the PPP, they allegedly devised a scheme to submit fraudulent business loan applications on behalf of their friends and family who did not actually own businesses. Related coverage: Consolidated Augusta government's American Rescue Plan payment doubles to $84 million. A 2020 Bentley Continental and Cadillac Escalade (New York December 21), 77. He was arrested after he booked a same-day flight to Pakistan. Authorities seized the Range Rover, worth about $125,000, jewelry, $120,000 in cash, and $3 million from 10 bank accounts. Attorneys for the Northern District of Georgia, 10 defendants indicted in multi-state, fraudulent COVID-19 related business loan scheme, Arizona man pleads guilty to extorting Georgia Tech, Georgia woman charged with stealing over $450,000 in government and retirement benefits. U.S. Attorney Brian T. Moran said in a statement, I am pleased that the systems designed to detect and deny fraudulent payments caught his scheme before federal funds went out the door.. Authorities claims Yates used a name generator on the Internet to create names of fake staff. A discovery by the U.S. One defendant was so brazen he allegedly posted a rap video online flashing $100 bills. He allegedly blew through about $200,000 in Las Vegas casinos, where he was caught on surveillance cameras at a Bellagio blackjack table. So youre really that miserable that you would call and report someone ? (March 30), Consolidated Augusta government's American Rescue Plan payment doubles to $84 million, Why the Small Business Administration loan program frustrates borrowers, Augusta-area physicians, clinics also able to tap into PPP loans, Click here to search our PPP loan database, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. We Will Protect Your Rights, Reputation and Freedom. The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user. Louis was awaiting trial on unrelated charges dating from 2014 2015. Here's a list of the PPP loan prosecutions to date: 1. Amanda Christian, 33, of Blythewood, South Carolina, 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 the loan obtained by her business, Advertising and Then Some Inc., and several other businesses loans. The tool below can be used to search all publicly released PPP recipients in GA. Lock Special Agent in Charge Joseph R. Bonavolonta of the FBIs Boston Field Office said in a statement, Thankfully we were able to stop them before taxpayers were defrauded.. After two banks declined, Rowberry allegedly said she would help him re-apply through a friend. For further information please contact the U.S. Attorneys Public Affairs Office at [email protected] or (404) 581-6016. Vegas Business Owner (Nevada August 13), 37. 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. NEWNAN, Ga. - Ten defendants, who operated as part of a larger group, have been indicted for participating in a wide ranging, multi-state scheme to submit fraudulent loan applications on behalf of non-existent businesses as part of the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program and the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). He allegedly received over $1.6 million. Manhattan Businessman (New York May 21), 6. Construction Company Owner (Washington D.C. July 13), 24. Luckily, the Feds have recovered a large part of the loan proceeds already, although millions is forever gone. The charges allege the usual. Want to know if your employer got aPaycheck Protection Planor PPP loan? Fugitive defendant who fled during trial convicted by federal jury for laundering millions of dollars stolen from fraud victims throughout the U.S. Twenty Two Defendants Charged In Connection With Alleged $11.1 Million Paycheck Protection Program Fraud Scheme. Man Out on Charges Buys Harley (Nevada August 21), 37. If there is evidence of fraud, people can go to jail for a $20,000 PPP loan, just like someone whose PPP loan was $100,000 or $1 million. Use our searchable database to see who in Georgia received funds. After the PPP loan proceeds were deposited into the businesses accounts, the businesses transferred more than $5.5 million of the PPP loan proceeds into accounts controlled by Darrell Thomas, purportedly for rental payments and payroll. Gaines is set to be sentenced on October 6. Read more. He allegedly created fake technology companies to obtain $1.5 million in funds. Ten people indicted in Metro Atlanta, Houston and D.C.-Maryland area on federal fraud charges for false CARES Act applications. This case is being investigated by the U.S. Diamond Blue Smith, a recording artist, is charged with being part of the nationwide $24 million scam ring mentioned above. Our searchable database allows users to look up dollar allotments by industry, and lenders. Man Sends Money to Pakistan and Books Flight (New Jersey December 15), 72. Every case is different, any prior result described or referred to herein cannot guarantee similar outcomes in the future. According to prosecutors, the defendants allegedly submitted, or assisted in submitting, PPP loan applications for 14 businesses between April and August 2020. Dennis Nobbe, a chiropractor in Miami, is charged with wire and health care fraud, money laundering and conspiracy. Postal Inspectors are committed to aggressively pursuing investigations in which the U.S. Mails are used to facilitate criminal schemes.. In order to get Paycheck Protection loans forgiven and not have to repay the loan, owners have to show proof that at least 60% was used for payroll and the rest for other permitted expenses. Under the terms of the program, for example, companies must represent that: During a federal PPP loan fraud audit or investigation, federal agents will not just be looking to assess loan recipients eligibility, but they will also be looking to determine whether companies have documentation on hand to qualify the representations they made in their PPP loan applications. The impact of COVID-19 on small businesses around the country has been devastating, said Acting U.S. Attorney Kurt R. Erskine. Although the amount of the loans, $9,400 and $20,800, are not as large as some on the list, United States government agencies are not giving them any slack. Along with its application requirements, the CARES Act also establishes requirements for how companies use, and account for the use of, PPP loan funds. According to Acting U.S. Attorney Erskine, the first superseding indictment, and other information presented in court: From April 2020 through August 2020, the conspirators in the scheme allegedly submitted, or assisted in the submission of, PPP loan applications on behalf of fourteen businesses, seeking loans of approximately $700,000 - $850,000 for each company: All Star Room & Board Services of Michigan Inc. Geoffrey M. Palermo of Novato faces charges of wire fraud and making false statements. Chain Pizza Owner Charged With PPP Fraud (Michigan November 12), 65. He allegedly claimed to have 250 employees when there is no record of any in his business, Rai Family LLC. The complaint states he applied on behalf of fake companies with names like White Walker, Khaleesi, and The Nights Watch. 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. They allegedly spent some money on personal expenses like vehicles and home improvements. Andre Lee Gaines, 67, of Dallas, Georgia, pleaded guilty on June 17, 2021 to one count of making false statements to the FBI in connection with the loan obtained by his business, Gaines Reservation and Travel. Arman Manukyan, a San Fernando Valley man, is charged with fraudulently obtaining an $867,000 loan for a shell sewing company, Argo Global. John Gaines a/k/a Marty Gaines, 56, of Marietta, 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 the loan obtained by Gaines Reservation and Travel. Report fraud/thefthttps://www.sba.gov/funding-programs/loans/covid-19-relief-options/report-id-theft-fraud Authorities say he went on a personal spending spree with taxpayer money. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) and the Drug Enforcement Administration executed a search warrant at the home of Alicia Quarterman in connection with an ongoing narcotics trafficking investigation. Sum of Current Approval Amount. The PPP promissory note you signed will have the terms applicable to you. Anecdotally, however, courts are routinely handing down . The defendants allegedly abused both programs by submitting fraudulent applications and obtaining thousands of dollars that should have gone to support struggling businesses. Submitting fraudulent applications and obtaining thousands of dollars dozens of workers at different! Prosecutions to date: 1 writing checks to Lamborghini dealerships storing preferences that are not requested by FBI... Indictment for healthcare fraud supervised release in an unrelated federal case when applied... Gone to support struggling businesses recipients in GA charges Buys Harley ( Nevada 13... 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