NGUYEN, 44, and VICTORIA HO, 31, both of Hicksville, New York, and DAT HO, 33, of the Bronx, New York, are each charged with one count of conspiracy to commit bank and wire fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison; one count of major fraud against the United States, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison; and one count of conspiracy to make false statements, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison. SBA has fired employees and contractors who were involved in approving loans to themselves or who inappropriately influenced loan approval. An attorney for Aqeel, Tommy T. Mingledorff, told POGO by email that these allegations are denied. These cases further highlight the ways individuals appear to have taken advantage of lax oversight in the program. Eastern District of Louisiana Sen. J.D. AGs Office announces more than 50 arrests connected to Paycheck Protection Program fraud. The PPP was developed to ease the pain of COVID-19 economic restraints on working Americans. In fraud cases where there is no apparent misuse of a loan, civil enforcement may be more likely than criminal prosecution. My feeling is that despite the fraud, the program helped far, far, far more of my people than it hurt, said Kennedy. Lawmaker wants police trained to handle Alzheimers, dementia patients, Health Minute: First at-home flu and COVID test authorized. We have a lot of qui tam cases that have been brought forward, Grossman told POGO, generally referring to False Claims Act complaints filed by private individuals. The forgivable loans were meant to cover payroll for employees and, later, other eligible expenses at a time when customers werent coming in. Sah submitted falsified tax and payroll documentation in which he claimed to have numerous employees and hundreds of thousands of dollars in payroll expenses, according to a Justice Department press release, but none of the businesses he sought loans for had any employees. portville central school yearbooks; jennette mccurdy astroseek. The Justice Department has brought charges in at least 56 cases for alleged Paycheck Protection Program fraud, according to a POGO review detailing trends in these first cases. (WAFB) - Since the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) launched to help businesses pay their employees to prevent great losses due to the COVID-19 pandemic, some people have. My directive to SBA and to the Department of Justice will be to work with our state attorneys general, work with local DHS, work with local sheriffs, and make sure people understand if you steal money, these are these are finite resources, said Kennedy. EVERY received these funds into her Current account, her Cash App account, or into her boyfriends Current account. There are many potential cases the Justice Department may not prosecute. 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. The PPP loans are forgivable under certain conditions and the loan forgiveness is not taxable income for federal tax purposes. Horowitz, the Justice Departments inspector general, recently testified to a House panel examining COVID-19 loan fraud that a legislative reform could help address the problem of fraud in smaller dollar amounts. Maybe, maybe not all.. Some investigations begin with complaints received through the watchdogs hotline, and others come from referrals by federal agencies or state and local law enforcement. On January 11, in the final days of the Trump administration, the Small Business Administration began processing a new round of Paycheck Protection Program loans. These are not simple or easy cases to investigate and charge, then-acting Assistant Attorney General Brian Rabbitt said at a press conference last September. complaint (20-mag-12908). But according to the Justice Department, neither company paid anywhere near the purported amounts and had few if any employees. Kindambu pleaded guilty in January. April 15, 2021. If a company is eligible for a loan and submits certifications in good faith, that company will have nothing to fear from the Civil Division. The DOJ says falsified tax records were submitted and in some cases, stolen personal information was also used in these attempts to defraud the PPP. In July, the agencys inspector general warned of potentially rampant fraud in the Economic Injury Disaster Loan program. To me, its like looting after a hurricane. THE DELAHOUSSAYE CO., INC. $150K . Red Flags: The First Year of COVID-19 Loan Fraud Cases, $189 Billion in Questionable Paycheck Protection Program Loans, With over $189 billion in questionable Paycheck Protection Program loans, law enforcement has just scratched the surface, By Otherwise, the borrower is on the hook for the money. 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. She's accused of making up fake businesses to collect more than $20,000 through. Name Jobs Reported Current Loan Loan Forgiveness; Amount ($) Date Approved Amount ($) Date; CONQUEST COMPLETION SERVICES, LLC: 129: 6,940,800: July 30, 2020: 7,069,157 Unfortunately, the owners of Victoria Nails & Spa saw this program as their own personal piggy bank. Even if the Justice Department declines to join a case, the whistleblower and their private counsel can continue to pursue it. Normally, our agents work a contract or procurement fraud case those can take several years to investigate, Grossman said. Its up to the SBA and the Justice Department to go after anyone caught stealing PPP money. An October inspector general report states that SBA has fired employees and contractors who were involved in approving loans to themselves or who inappropriately influenced loan approval. The Small Business Administration did not respond to questions, but a spokesperson for the agencys inspector general told POGO that we are aware of one employee and two contractors who have been fired for these reasons. Meant to help small businesses keep workers on the payroll, the Paycheck Protection Program offers loans of up to $10 million that can be forgiven in full if recipients meet certain employee retention requirements. The Justice Department has brought criminal charges against at least 209 individuals in 119 cases related to Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) fraud since banks and other lenders began processing loan applications on behalf of the Small Business Administration on April 3, 2020. But in the year since the CARES Act became law, it has received nearly 150,000 hotline complaints, representing a 19,500% increase over prior years, according to a staff memo from the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis. Kindambu applied for two Paycheck Protection Program loans representing Papillon Holdings, Inc. and Papillon Air, Inc., according to court documents. One percent of the recovery acts $501 billion in spending would be about $5 billion. Louisiana Workforce Commission Suspected Fraud Form. The program has traditionally been used to help small businesses facing revenue loss in the wake of natural disasters. A total of 73,824 loans were distributed to Louisiana leading to a reported 799,664 jobs being retained. Theyre not checking licenses. All rights reserved. Ryan Summers is a research fellow for POGO. (WAFB) - Since the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) launched to help businesses pay their employees to prevent great losses due to the COVID-19 pandemic, some people have of course tried to exploit the program and defraud the federal government of money. The Small Business Administration has sent 1.34 million referrals related to Economic Injury Disaster loans to its office of inspector general, which is tackling these and Paycheck Protection Program fraud cases in coordination with a host of other law enforcement agencies. Many believe a high percentage of these grants were stolen, but some federal prosecutors with heavy caseloads may find it hard to justify The program began issuing loans again in January 2021, and some businesses are eligible for a second loan. In certified submissions to the federal government, the familys ministry claimed a substantial operation with 486 employees, a monthly payroll of over $2.76 million, and revenue exceeding $51 million in 2019. Two people were approved for that amount twice, and one of those people got paid twice. About one year after the passage of the CARES Act, $626 million in funds have already been seized or forfeited related to criminal and civil investigations of pandemic loan fraud. EVERY then charged approximately $3,500.00 once the loans were funded. That story of corruption inside SBA has been overshadowed by other criminal allegations against Greenberg, notably child sex trafficking charges, and a scandal that might bring down a member of Congress. The Justice Department said law enforcement arrested defendants in Miami on Wednesday and Thursday who officials allege are involved in a "criminal ring" that attempted to steal $24 million in. Between May and October 2020, financial institutions filed more than 21,000 and 20,000 suspicious activity reports (SAR) related to PPP and EIDL, respectively, according to the Government Accountability Office. katherine noelle wyman; cape breton post obituaries 2022. location symbol text in word; list of female jockeys australia; mike conley house columbus ohio address The prosecution of this case is being handled by the Offices Complex Frauds and Cybercrime Unit. 8851 center dr la mesa, ca 91942; chamberlain graduation 2023; fun sober things to do on a friday night. Analyzing that data for red flags is a way to identity subsets of loans and grants that warrant closer scrutiny and to help direct scarce investigative resources. (The latest round, which began in January, allowed some applicants to receive a second Paycheck Protection Program loan. From at least in or about April 2020 through at least in or about June 2020, NGUYEN, VICTORIA HO, and DAT HO engaged in a scheme to submit online applications to at least two financial institutions for a total of over $13 million in government-guaranteed loans for the Victoria Companies through the SBAs PPP. This Office was one of the districts affected by the SolarWinds intrusion. According to the MITRE Corporation, a mismatched zip code or insufficient award description doesnt seem particularly egregious. 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. With over 18 million Paycheck Protection Program loans and pandemic-related Economic Injury Disaster loans and advance grants approved over the last year, there is a sea of data on these programs. Filed under investigation In a case that garnered national attention, the U.S. Secret Service seized over $8.4 million in Paycheck Protection Program funds from a seemingly bogus ministry in Orlando, Florida that had no apparent operations at its physical location and a website filled with generic language taken from other religious organizations. Pursuant to the CARES Act, the amount of PPP funds a business is eligible to receive is determined by the number of employees employed by the business and their average payroll costs. When the bank froze the funds, they froze as well, conducting Internet searches for topics related to PPP fraud. A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. Report it to the Small Business Administrations with just a few clicks. A check of Floridas Division of Corporations database would have revealed the companies had just been reinstated. Complaints can also be filed online here. Showing 50 of 9,060 results. Please click here for further information. GOODWILL INDUSTRIES OF NORTH LOUISIANA INC. But because the Department of Justice has made PPP and EIDL a priority we are seeing results from DOJ rather quickly in a lot of our investigations., Others in government have also remarked on how fast many of these cases Joshua Edwards, the supposed vice president of ASLAN International Ministry, is accused of submitting fake payroll, tax, and financial documentation in support of the loan application. NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA United States Attorney Duane A. Evans announced today the indictment of SHARNAE EVERY (EVERY), age 27, of Houston, Texas, who was charged with one (1) count of Conspiracy to Commit Mail Fraud in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1349 and two (2) counts of Mail Fraud in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1341. The Department of Justice, and in particular my office here in the Middle District of Louisiana, is committed to investigating and prosecuting those who abuse the system for personal gain and will use every resource at our disposal to protect those federal dollars and the businesses they are intended to help. If someone defaults, or cant pay it back, the SBA will still reimburse the lender. This table shows the top 5 industries in Louisiana by number . EVERY falsely certified that the applications and the information provided in the supporting documents were true and accurate when she electronically submitted the fraudulent PPP loan applications. Seven of the approved loans were processed by Cross River Bank, a top Paycheck Protection Program lender that closely allied itself with financial technology firms. In December 2020, an independent auditor informed the SBA that, out of 5.2 million Paycheck Protection Program loans in 2020, the agency made over 2 million approved PPP loan guarantees worth some $189 billion potentially not in compliance with the law. Does something look fishy to you? The PPP loan forgiveness is not subject to Louisiana state income tax. The PPP loan was created through the March 2020 CARES Act as a lifeline for businesses struggling through the coronavirus pandemic. In less than six months, more than 50 people have been charged with allegedly committing fraud in connection with the program. Brian Grossman, the Small Business Administrations assistant inspector general for investigations, told POGO that as of March 10, 2021, the watchdog office had 91 active Paycheck Protection Program investigations and 121 active Economic Injury Disaster loan investigations. A picture from that stay shows Pape and Jung celebrating over sparkling wine. Jungs attorney declined to comment, and Papes attorney did not respond to a request for comment. In 2020, applicants could not lawfully receive more than one Paycheck Protection Program loan. woman indicted for preparing 110 fraudulent PPP loans. Investigators say those accused made false statements about things like how many people they employ, their average monthly revenue, and payroll figures. 3 Defendants Arrested For Over $13 Million Fraud Scheme To Obtain Loans Intended To Help Small Businesses During COVID-19 Pandemic Three Family Members Arrested for Misrepresenting Employee Payroll Figures to Receive COVID-19 Loan Funds for Chain of Family-Owned Nail Salons in New York Metropolitan Area and Other Businesses Civil enforcementwhere the evidentiary burden is lower than in criminal casesis another way of holding individuals and companies accountable. Another large identity theft case led to charges against Jeremie Saintvil of Delray Beach, Florida in March. 107 of the cases, accused individuals allegedly falsified payroll documentation to justify either getting a loan or getting a bigger loan than they were eligible for; 93 of the cases, accused individuals allegedly created fake tax documents used for verifying details in loan applications; 41 of the cases, accused individuals allegedly created bogus companies to get loans; 28 of the cases, accused individuals allegedly used defunct companies to get loans; 20 of the cases, accused individuals used stolen identities or aliases while applying for loans; 12 of the cases, accused individuals allegedly falsified ownership of existing legitimate businesses; 28 of the cases, accused individuals also obtained Economic Injury Disaster loans (some of these individuals have been accused of fraudulently obtaining these loans. Faa sua busca no site. PPP Loans in Raceland, LA - Page 13. 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. Compare the spread of the infection with other areas in the U.S. Too often those who fraudulently divert tax dollars in amounts below what is typically accepted by prosecutors are not fully held accountable, impacting agency programs and leaving the taxpayer footing the bill, he wrote. The Small Business Administration has said victims of identity theft will not have to repay the loans fraudulently obtained in their name, but some individuals have told media outlets the agency has not promptly resolved their cases. OIG and its law enforcement partners will relentlessly pursue fraudsters and bring them to justice. When the government spends money, taxpayers deserve to know how it was spent, Clarion Ledger Editor Marlon A. Walker says. To support his loan applications, Kindambu claimed that Papillon Holdings had $150,000 in monthly payroll expenses and that Papillon Air had over $850,000 in monthly payroll expenses. Normally, the agency can require loan applicants to fill out a form allowing the agency to verify their tax information with the Internal Revenue Service. Audrey Strauss, the Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Amaleka McCall-Brathwaite, Eastern Region Special Agent-in-Charge of the Office of the Inspector General of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA-OIG), William F. Sweeney Jr., Assistant Director-in-Charge of the New York Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and Jonathan D. Larsen, Special Agent in Charge of the New York Field Office of the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), announced today the arrests of NGOC MANH NGUYEN, a/k/a Peter Nguyen, VICTORIA DIEUY HO, a/k/a Vicky Ho, and DAT TAT HO for a fraudulent scheme to obtain over $13 million in Government-guaranteed loans designed to provide relief to small businesses during the novel coronavirus/COVID-19 pandemic. Act 12 of the 2020 First Extraordinary Session of the Louisiana Legislature provided for a one-time $250 rebate for eligible workers earning $50,000 per year or less, who spent at least 200 hours responding to or mitigating the COVID-19 crisis from March 22, 2020, through May 14, 2020. ) or https:// means youve safely connected to the .gov website. BATON ROUGE, La. The PPP loan forgiveness, Fairs, Festivals, and Other Special Events, The Importance of Protecting Client Tax Information, 2022 Practitioner Tax Update Seminar Schedule, Update We dont have the capacity to work everything that comes in, Grossman told POGO. However, the Trump administrations Justice Department also sought to assuage companies concerns, especially in regard to qui tam False Claims Act lawsuits. to fraudulently obtain the loan money. Ms. Strauss also thanked Homeland Security Investigations and the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Eastern District of New York for their assistance with the investigation. All rights reserved. Many Paycheck Protection Program loans appear to have been issued to recipients who were not eligible under the programs rules. The addresses listed for the two companies, according to SBA loan data, also do not match the addresses in the states corporation recordsyet another sign of potential fraud. The prosecution of this case is being handled by Assistant United States Attorney Brian M. Klebba, Chief of the Financial Crimes Unit, and Assistant United States Attorney Edward Rivera, COVID-19 Fraud Coordinator. However, industry insiders say the barbershop industry is largely cash-based, making it easy to operate under the radar. BATON ROUGE, La. GOODWILL INDUSTRIES OF NORTH LOUISIANA, INC. BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH FOUNDATION OF NORTHWEST LOUISIANA, ROSS H DIES DDS & BENJAMIN A BEACH DDS, LLC, Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting, Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services, Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services, Other Services (except Public Administration). Act 311 of the 2020 Regular Session of the Louisiana Legislature allocated federal CARES Act funds to provide grants of up to $15,000 to eligible small businesses through a program administered by the Louisiana Department of Treasury. There is abundant evidence that there was too little upfront vetting of loan applications in both the Paycheck Protection Program and Economic Injury Disaster Loan program. BATON ROUGE, La. Funds disseminated through this program, The Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) established by the CARES Act, provides small businesses with funding for payroll costs, mortgage interest, rent, and utilities. The oversight failures of the last year have become increasingly clear, eventually leading to changes. VICTORIA HO will be presented tomorrow in Manhattan federal court before U.S. Magistrate Judge Sarah Netburn. Shes accused of making up fake businesses to collect more than $20,000 through a PPP loan and another $500,000 in prepaid debit cards through unemployment claims. Nick Schwellenbach is a Senior Investigator at POGO. The nonprofit MITRE Corporation found more than 85% of Paycheck Protection Program loan recipients did not indicate their race or ethnicity in their loan applications, Earlier this year, the Biden administration revamped the Paycheck Protection Program loan application to encourage self-reporting of demographic data and better illustrate the impact the PPP is having across various population segments. But the Small Business Administration acknowledged, as of late March, there is still limited demographic data on PPP borrowers.. For more information on the Department of Justices response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus. In addition to allegedly submitting a fraudulent PPP loan application for a fictious [sic] business in his own name, Saintvil also allegedly stole the identities of eight elderly individualsseven of whom were residents of senior living facilities and one who was related to him, according to a Justice Department press release. In the three decades since the laws passage, there have been only six whistleblower settlements involving FIRREA, yielding $19.9 billion in recoveries, but only $9.3 million in rewards to whistleblowers, according to Whistleblower Network News. Indeed, on the day lenders began processing applications for Paycheck Protection Program loans last year, Small Business Administration Inspector General Hannibal Mike Ware issued a white paper outlining lessons learned from previous stimulus loan programs. . The offices 44 investigators have been working at least three times the caseload that theyre usually used to working. The FBI, Secret Service, Homeland Security Investigations, and other offices of inspectors general are also part of the federal law enforcement effort. Lenders approved that amount for eight people, seven of whom got checks. Qui tam complaints are filed under seal On March 30, the Justice Department unveiled new charges against Joel Greenberg, a former Florida tax collector. (WAFB) - Since the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) launched to help businesses pay their employees to prevent great losses due to the COVID-19 pandemic, some people have of course tried to exploit the program and defraud the federal government of money. Data analysis could also help the agency assess potential policy changes, and the Biden administration made some changes to make access to relief more equitable earlier this year. The CARES Act precluded the agency from exercising one important check on fraud in the Economic Injury Disaster Loan program. Babysitter arrested after 5-year-old fatally shot by 6-year-old cousin. For instance, in a review for the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee, the nonprofit MITRE Corporation examined a sample of 500 records for Paycheck Protection Program loans above $150,000. Giving back to the community through a variety of venues & initiatives. Your Address, Corporation Income/Franchise Extension Request. The Small Business Administration has released a list of businesses that have received emergency pandemic loans. 650 Poydras Street, Suite 1600 An Archdale man was arrested after authorities say he falsely received more than $1.5 million in COVID-19 relief money through the Paycheck Protection Program. Director for the Louisiana SBA District Office Michael Ricks said while that information may raise some red flags on the surface, he explained that not complying with an industrys licensing requirements does not necessarily disqualify someone from being eligible for a PPP loan. Click on a company's name to see additional loan details. Public Information Director This is your state and county equivalent level look at how many have gotten a dose or doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. All rights reserved. When they believe they have unearthed sufficient evidence to allege the government has been defrauded, these individuals file qui tam lawsuits, Grossman said. The cash injection and potentially forgivable loans were . As the lending programs ramped up last summer, there was a spike in suspicious activity reports from banks and other lenders flagging potential fraud. 6 AVG COMPANY SIZE. If Congress amends the underutilized Program Fraud Civil Remedies Act, efforts by inspectors general to fight fraud in pandemic related spending would be enhanced, according to Horowitzs testimony. According to the SBA, lenders are responsible for vetting applications and making sure the applicant is telling the truth in whatever way they see fit. What happens when the watchdog tasked with overseeing the most powerful law enforcement agency in the country doesnt do its job? They determined that a lot of the folks that they have as subjects of their investigations in HHS OIG [for Medicare and Medicaid fraud], were also committing PPP and EIDL fraud, Grossman said. Two of the companies, Symbiont Retailers and Horizon Enterprises, were not in good standing before the Paycheck Protection Program began. Sen. John Kennedy says in the rush to get help to people in need as quickly as possible, Congress didnt have time to build many safeguards against fraud into the program. Use our searchable database to see who in Louisiana received funds. And this is not the only case. He warned that increased loan volume, loan amounts, and expedited loan processing timeframes may make it more difficult for SBA to identity red flags in loan applications. The inspector general called for the agency to put in place sufficient controls, but the agency did not heed the watchdogs warnings at that time. 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