Lopez filed the fake PPP loan in June of 2020, claiming his phantom company employed 25 and had a monthly payroll of roughly $192,000 in expenses. Its the first public case of fraud in these pandemic loan programs attributed to corruption within the agencys own ranks. 
A Project On Government Oversight (POGO) review of court filings up to April 2, 2021, found that the charged individuals allegedly sought a total of nearly $445 million in Paycheck Protection Program loans. In other words, lenders and the Small Business Administration did not prevent the alleged fraud in these instances before taxpayer dollars went out the door. The Small Business Administration (SBA) is not collecting on loans that should be paid back, citing "equity" as the reason. Plus, Tattoos And Vaccines Can Mix. POGOs analysis of the first full years worth of Paycheck Protection Program fraud cases found that in at least: Some of these cases involve multiple defendants. That new law permitted SBA to require additional information from applicants, such as tax returns, for loans and advances as part of its verification, according to Shear of the Government Accountability Office. "We are committed to protecting the American people and the integrity of the critical lifelines provided for them by Congress, and we will continue to respond to this challenge.". EVERY advertised under various aliases on Facebook to recruit individuals to obtain money from the PPP program. 
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The agencys Assistant Inspector General for Investigations Brian Grossman told POGO that not all of the referrals relate to the COVID-19 relief lending programs, but many of them do.. The indictment alleges that Jemar Mason and David Kurbanov, in concert with Andre Jackson The False Claims Act will play a central role in the Departments pursuit of COVID-19 related fraud, Michael Granston, a Justice Department deputy assistant attorney general, said in December. Some content may be sourced from press releases or public information/records. Every one of the phony and fraudulent invoices, bank statements, and Schedule Cs was fabricated by them. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); All suspects are innocent until proven guilty. The January SBA report also found that 43,000 small businesses obtained more money than their reported payrolls would have justified. PPP Detective All Loans (current) Loans By States La Miraj Llc 262 reports Cosmetics, Beauty Supplies, and Perfume Stores . The inspector general offices workload has increased significantly, Grossman said. In one of the most complex cases to emerge since POGOs original analysis, at least seven individuals were indicted in a scheme that allegedly involved over 80 applications seeking a total of $30 million in Paycheck Protection Program loans. Ryan Summers is a research fellow for POGO. Nick Schwellenbach WebThese PPP loans have been flagged as fraudulent by other users. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. Who in Louisiana got Paycheck Protection Program loans during the pandemic? Man Pleads Guilty To Wire Fraud In Fraudulent PPP Loan Scheme. These cases further highlight the ways individuals appear to have taken advantage of lax oversight in the program. 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