1343: Wire Fraud. PPP Loan Fraud can also be prosecuted under the Wire Fraud Statute, which is codified in 18 U.S.C. Two Men, Identity Theft and a Conspiracy (Rhode Island - May 5, 2020) David Staveley, aka Kurt D. Sanborn, and David Butziger were charged with conspiring to seek over $530,000 in PPP money. Keep this news free and accessible to all by becoming a member and giving a recurring donation of any amount today. Itria Ventures LLC. Thursday, July 15, 2021 SALT LAKE CITY - Hubert Ivan Ugarte 52, of Draper, and Lisa Bradshaw Rowberry, 49, of Provo, have both been sentenced for their roles in unlawfully obtaining a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan for Frisbu Trucking, Incorporated, where they were both employed. We center readers in everything we do, informingand engagingMississippians through reporting, podcasts, events and online communities. "For more than two years, the defendant was living lavishly on taxpayer dollars while millions of Americans were struggling during the pandemic.". We do not sell or share your information with anyone. Our office will continue to prosecute violations of the CARES Actlarge or smallin an effort to recover as many stolen taxpayer dollars as possible.. As of today, the Department of Justice has publicly charged 474 defendants with criminal offenses based on fraud schemes connected to the COVID-19 pandemic. Indictments and other criminal charges referenced above are merely allegations, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. "It was set up for people with power to get more power," Christopher said. Founded in 2016 as the states first nonprofit, nonpartisan newsroom, Mississippi Todays roots in Capitol coverage have grown to encompass a myriad of beats beyond politics and policy, including education, public health, justice, environment, equity, and, yes, sports. The Government alleged that Chanchikyan submitted fraudulent loan applications seeking approximately $345,000 in COVID-19 relief funds through his home health agency, Gentle Touch Home Health Care Inc. The funds were direct deposited into Powell's CEFCU account on March 2, 2021. Links Mentioned In This Video: PPP Loan Tracker - https://teachingmillionaires.com/ppp-tracker You can only publish select stories individually not as a collection. Under the federal Wire . Powell claimed he had operated a barber shop since June 2018 and had one employee with an annual payroll expense of $96,000. To learn more about our cartoon syndication services. PPP loans were designed to help small businesses stay afloat during the pandemic. The program was then relaunched in January with $284 billion in funding. The U.S. SBA regularly publishes PPP loan data for all past PPP loan recipients. This has resulted in the take down of multiple online COVID-19 scams and significant seizures of counterfeit medicines and medical supplies such as masks, gloves, hand sanitizers and other illicit goods. The $525 billion Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) enacted as part of the CARES Act in 2020 helped millions of small businesses weather the COVID-19 pandemic. Most of those cases -- investigators say -- are legitimate, however. The multifaceted and multi-district approach to enforcement during this national health emergency continues and is expected to yield numerous additional criminal and civil enforcement actions in the coming months. All data in this search comes directly from the publicly available PPP data on the SBA website. Search MS Businesses. Yet franchisees in Mississippi from dozens of large national chains came away with millions in loans; 28 of McDonalds locations in Mississippi, for instance, received a combined $14.8 million, despite the chain being a multinational corporation that made $4.7 billion in profit last year. Congress approved another $320 billion in May, and the program stopped in August with around $130 billion in unused funds. Contact Us for a Free Case Review Name Telephone Email Address Tell Us What Happened: Send Contact 1-877-ONDER-LAW TOLL-FREE HELPLINE Paycheck Protection Program loans were guaranteed by the Small Business Administration under the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act. These cases involve attempts to obtain over $569 million from the U.S. government and unsuspecting individuals through fraud and have been brought in 56 federal districts around the country. Northern District of Mississippi According to the government, Sherry Ross was unjustly enriched by a PPP loan to support a self-employed daycare business that she didnt operate. Click on a company's name to see additional loan details. The department has prosecuted or secured civil injunctions against dozens of defendants who sold products including industrial bleach, ozone gas, vitamin supplements, and colloidal silver ointments using false or unapproved claims about the products abilities to prevent or treat COVID-19 infections. Religious groups in the state received between $53 and $80 million, spread across 80 different organizations. We prefer Author Name, Mississippi Today in the byline. We expect the DOJ to accelerate FCA prosecutions and settlements . Of the Mississippi businesses that did answer, 75 percent were male, and 83 percent were white. Changs, Legal Sea Foods and Silver Diner either received PPP loans or had investors connected to the company that did. Paycheck Protection Program loans were guaranteed by the Small Business Administration, Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. His work has appeared in the Boston Globe, Open Secrets, and on NBC.com. That was too tempting to pass up for some businesses that really should've passed on it. In Mississippi, nearly all 96% of loans were directed towards payrolls. Updated July 25, 2022 Search for PPP loan applications by organization, lender, zip code and business type. The department is also coordinating with numerous agency partners to prevent and deter vaccine-related fraud. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. There was an error and we couldn't process your subscription. Chinese Man Found Guilty Of $20 Million Dollar PPP Fraud Scheme Chinese national who lived in New York pled guilty in connection with a fraudulent scheme to obtain over $20 million. 18 U.S.C. Wire Fraud - Punishable by up to 30 years in a federal prison and a $1,000,000 fine. 4 min read. On criminal matters, the Justice Departments efforts to combat COVID-19 related fraud schemes have proceeded on numerous fronts, including: Through the departments International Computer Hacking and Intellectual Property (ICHIP) program, ICHIP advisors have provided assistance and case-based mentoring to foreign counterparts around the globe to help detect, investigate and prosecute fraud related to the pandemic. An official website of the United States government. PPP Loan List:Who in Mississippi got Paycheck Protection Program loans during the pandemic? The goal is to fund small businesses that have been economically impacted due to the coronavirus pandemic. Loan Range No. Where: The Bank of America PPP loans class action was filed in a California federal court. Christopher Paul Lick, of Starkville, got $6 million inPaycheck Protection Program (PPP) funds by filing false and fraudulent loan applications with banks, according to court documents cited in a news release by the US Attorney's Office of Northern Mississippion Friday. Please reload the page and try again. Sign up for our newsletter for the latest tech news and scoops delivered daily to your inbox. Use our searchable database to see who in Mississippi received funds. United States Attorney's Office Help us crowdsource fraud detection in the PPP program! Find data and reports related to the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). 43. Criminal Division 662-234-0657 To republish online, simply click the button, copy the html code and paste into your Content Management System (CMS). Fraudulent Use of PPP Loan Funds Funds gained under the PPP may only be used for the purposes authorized under the CARES Act. With your help, we've gotten a lot done but we're not finished yet! According to court documents, Christopher Paul Lick, 47, of Starkville devised a scheme to defraud, and to obtain PPP funds, by filing false and fraudulent loan applications with banks providing loans as part of the Paycheck Protection Program. Authorities said that Gautreaux. You cant edit our stories, except to reflect relative changes in time, location and editorial style. "The sentence imposed in this case was well deserved," Joyner said. a proud member of the Through the Paycheck Protection Program ("PPP"), the federal government approved approximately $525 billion in loans to over 5.2 million small businesses between April and early August 2020. You can search and filter the list of PPP loans. By industry: The Paycheck Protection Program awarded about $16 billion to 128,159 small businesses and nonprofits in Michigan in the first two rounds of PPP funding. Official websites use .gov According to Business Insider, you may be out of luck and too late to receive funding. Christopher Paul Lick, 45, of Starkville worked up a scheme to get PPP funds by filing false loan applications with banks, including Customers Bank and Cross River Bank, the U.S. Department of Justice says. The 45-year-old is charged with four counts of wire fraud, one count of false statements to a financial institution, and eleven counts of money laundering, according to the DoJ. ICHIPs conducted webinars for foreign prosecutors and law enforcement in Asia, Africa, Europe, and South America on how to take down fraudulent COVID-19 websites. Wire Fraud. By clicking submit, you agree to share your email address with Mississippi Today. He was approved for a $20,000 PPP loan. Enjoy! Designed to cover expenses such as payroll and rent, the loans do not have to be paid back if at least 60 percent of the money is spent keeping or rehiring workers. Small Business Administration (SBA) released a list of all the businesses their loan amount with Bank and business details. Keep this news free and accessible to all by becoming a member and giving a recurring donation of any amount today. Lick admitted to overstating the number of employees and payroll expenses of his purported businesses to receive PPP funds. The unprecedented pace and tempo of these efforts is made possible only through the diligent work of a wide range of Justice Department partners, including the Criminal Divisions Fraud Section and Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section, the Civil Divisions Commercial Litigation Branch (Fraud Section) and Consumer Protection Branch, U.S. Attorneys Offices throughout the country, and law enforcement partners from the FBI, Department of Labor Office of Inspector General, U.S. Secret Service, IRS-Criminal Investigation, Defense Criminal Investigative Service, Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Civil Division 662-234-3318. For example, in March, a Texas man pleaded guilty to a scheme applying for . U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of Mississippi, Starkville Man plead guilty to a scheme involving more than $6 million in COVID-Relief Fraud, https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form, Starkville Man Charged with more than $6 million in COVID-Relief Fraud, False Statements and Money Laundering, Starkville Man Plead Guilty To a Scheme Involving More Than $6 Million In COVID Relief Fraud. If youre not able to add the byline, please include a line at the top of the story that reads: This story was originally published by Mississippi Today and include our website, You cannot republish our editorial cartoons, photographs, illustrations or graphics without specific permission (contact our managing editor. The Ayn Rand Institute received a loan and defended it on Twitter. Grace Pateras and Joe Harrington contributed to this story. Official websites use .gov All rights reserved. We're dedicated to keeping Mississippians informed with our thorough reporting. PPP Small Business Relief Will Likely Not Help All. We center readers in everything we do, informingand engagingMississippians through reporting, podcasts, events and online communities. Lick is scheduled to be sentenced on August 12, 2022, before Senior District Judge Glen Davidson and faces up to 30 years in federal prison. Mississippi businesses that applied for and received a loan as part of a national effort to save small companies during the coronavirus pandemic is now public information. Congress enacted the PPP in March 2020 to provide emergency financial support to those suffering the economic effects caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. Joyner said Lick admitted overstating the number of employees and payroll expenses to receive money. by Alex Rozier, Mississippi Today April 30, 2021, This and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.. A Mississippi man was arrested on Thursday, accused of spending COVID-19 small business loans on a variety of luxury items, including a $100,000 Tesla and a $1 million home, federal prosecutors said. With scammers around the world attempting to sell fake and unlawful cures, treatments, and personal protective equipment, the department has brought dozens of civil and criminal enforcement actions to safeguard Americans health and economic security. There is not an exact figure because many of these loans are disclosed in ranges. Founded in 2016 as the states first nonprofit, nonpartisan newsroom, Mississippi Todays roots in Capitol coverage have grown to encompass a myriad of beats beyond politics and policy, including education, public health, justice, environment, equity, and, yes, sports. The Morgan County School System in Georgia is made up of entirely charter schools. Rather than use the PPP funds for his businesses, Lick admitted to purchasing a home valued at more than $1 million and to using the PPP funds for personal investments in the stock market. According to the data set, these loans will allow the businesses to retain a total of 412,492 jobs. To learn more about the departments COVID response, visit: https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus. Bank of Holly Springs. The Paycheck Protection Program, created as a lifesaver for small businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic, was part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act that President signed into law on March 27, 2020. Help keep the momentum going by rejoining our member community today. Check out bed occupancy rate of hospitals. var divElement = document.getElementById('viz1594157587379'); var vizElement = divElement.getElementsByTagName('object')[0]; if ( divElement.offsetWidth > 800 ) { vizElement.style.width='800px';vizElement.style.height='627px';} else if ( divElement.offsetWidth > 500 ) { vizElement.style.width='800px';vizElement.style.height='627px';} else { vizElement.style.width='100%';vizElement.style.height='727px';} var scriptElement = document.createElement('script'); scriptElement.src = 'https://public.tableau.com/javascripts/api/viz_v1.js'; vizElement.parentNode.insertBefore(scriptElement, vizElement); The data also included the demographics of borrowers, although two-thirds of the states borrowers declined to provide a gender and three-quarters declined to provide a race or ethnicity. We expect that number to increase in 2023. In fact, the franchise locations combined for each of McDonalds, Sonic, Applebees and General Motors received more in loans than any of the states non-franchise businesses. We are proud to work with our law enforcement partners to hold wrongdoers accountable and to safeguard taxpayer funds.. These webinars addressed methods for finding the registrar for a particular domain and requesting a voluntary takedown as well as the U.S. legal processes necessary for obtaining a court order that would bind a U.S. registrar. Providing senior living solutions in the Triangle and Triad areas of North Carolina, including Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, Wake Forest, Burlington, Greensboro, High Point, Winston-Salem and surrounding areas Oxford, MS 38655, Telephone:662-234-3351 A lock (LockA locked padlock) or https:// means youve safely connected to the .gov website. Any web site our stories appear on must include a contact for your organization. Jermicha Fomby, special agent in charge of the FBI field office in Jackson, said in the news release that Lick took very proactive steps to defraud the U. S. Government and the citizens of this nation.. Todays guilty plea is a significant step in bringing to justice those who abused these programs, but it is only the first step. "If ARI gets government relief money, it will be, for us, partial restitution for government-inflicted losses. Christopher Paul Lick, of Starkville, got $6 million in Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) funds by filing false and fraudulent loan applications with banks, according to court documents cited. Lick lied about the number of people his businesses employed, and his expenses, the documents said. The Department of Justice announced an update today on criminal and civil enforcement efforts to combat COVID-19 related fraud, including schemes targeting the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program and Unemployment Insurance (UI) programs. The published data now include specific amounts businesses have received, as well as the names of places that got smaller loans. . FIRREA allows the government to impose civil penalties for violations of enumerated federal criminal statutes, including those that affect federally-insured financial institutions. The FCA is the governments primary civil tool to redress false claims for federal funds and property involving a multitude of government operations and functions. With your help, we've gotten a lot done but we're not finished yet! Disbursements to Mississippi businesses ranged from $100 to a $10 million loan, which went to Staff Pro LLC, an employment agency in Gulfport. The department has also worked to shutter hundreds of fraudulent websites that were facilitating consumer scams, and it has taken scores of actions to disrupt financial networks supporting such scams. For further information on the Criminal Divisions enforcement efforts on PPP fraud, including court documents from significant cases, visit the following website: https://www.justice.gov/criminal-fraud/ppp-fraud. Access your favorite topics in a personalized feed while you're on the go. We provide free no-obligation PPP loan fraud case review for Mississippi residents. The Department of Justice has filed dozens of charges alleging PPP fraud. This can result in fines and up to 20 years in prison. More than $4 billion in loans have now made its way to Mississippi after Congress approved another round of federal support for businesses earlier this year. Main Office: These include (i) payroll expenses, (ii) interest and rent payments under pre-existing obligations, (iii) insurance premiums, and (iv) utilities. Bank of America PPP loans class action overview: Who: Three small businesses are suing Bank of America over its management of PPP loans. It provided more than $2 trillion in economic relief to help Americans cope with the economic impact of the COVID-19 global pandemic. And you can use this map and database to find out who got a loan. STARKVILLE, Miss. A Starkville man pleaded guilty today to one count of wire fraud in connection with a scheme to defraud the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) of more than $6 million in COVID-19 relief loans guaranteed by the Small Business Administration (SBA) under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. Click on a company's name to see additional loan details. Rucker alleged Great Dane violated the anti-retaliation provision of the False Claims Act (31 U.S.C. The SBA states that the PPP program is designed to help small businesses keep workers on payroll. For a full breakdown of which businesses received loans of $150,000 or more, see the tables below: !function(){"use strict";window.addEventListener("message",(function(a){if(void 0!==a.data["datawrapper-height"])for(var e in a.data["datawrapper-height"]){var t=document.getElementById("datawrapper-chart-"+e)||document.querySelector("iframe[src*='"+e+"']");t&&(t.style.height=a.data["datawrapper-height"][e]+"px")}}))}(); Disclosure: Mississippi Today sought a Paycheck Protection Program loan, which has been approved and disbursed. : //www.justice.gov/coronavirus Georgia is made up of entirely charter schools operated a barber shop since June 2018 and one... Newsletter for the purposes authorized under the Wire fraud - Punishable by up to 20 years in.. 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Searchable database to see additional loan details of entirely charter schools in economic relief to help cope... ; it was set up for our newsletter for the latest tech news and scoops delivered daily to inbox... Spread across 80 different organizations the department is also coordinating with numerous partners. More than $ 2 trillion in economic relief to help small businesses stay afloat during pandemic... Caused by the small Business Administration, your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy caused by the Covid-19 pandemic applications... News and scoops delivered daily to your inbox 31 U.S.C in funding by clicking submit, you agree share! Great Dane violated the anti-retaliation provision of the Mississippi businesses that really should & # x27 ; CEFCU! Has appeared in the byline 320 billion in unused funds into Powell & # x27 ; s CEFCU account March! Crowdsource fraud detection in the Boston Globe, Open Secrets, and 83 percent were white this comes.