Data analysts at the inspector generals office have been combing through Paycheck Protection Program and Economic Injury Disaster loan data to look for markers of potential fraud, such as repeat loan applicants from the same physical addresses, Grossman told POGO. 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. Investigators determined there were at least 110 PPP sole proprietor loan applications in and around the Thibodeaux, Louisiana area and they all had the same invoices and federal tax forms (Schedule C) with the same business name and amounts. He also opened bank accounts and lines of credit at financial institutions and credit card companies in the names of his elderly victims, according to the Justice Department. The oversight failures of the last year have become increasingly clear, eventually leading to changes. The involvement of a Small Business Administration employee in a pandemic loan fraud case raises questions about the agencys vetting of employees. 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 You can search the SBA's entire PPP loan data below. 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. NGUYEN, VICTORIA HO, and DAT HO are members of a family that owns a chain of over 15 nail salons called Victoria Nails & Spa and other companies (the Victoria Companies) in or around the New York metropolitan area, including the Bronx, Brooklyn, and Long Island. The Department of Justice says in Feb. 2021, Gray created a scheme to defraud a lender and the United States, through the Small Business Administration, by filing false applications for PPP. Todays Internet search for PPP Loan Fraud Arrests will certainly produce an unwanted result one that includes the name of their company leading the headlines., IRS-CI Special Agent in Charge Jonathan D. Larsen said: In this difficult time when many Americans are struggling financially, it is repugnant that there are those who would fraudulently take advantage of relief efforts offered. According to the allegations contained in the Complaint[1] unsealed today in Manhattan federal court: The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act is a federal law enacted on March 29, 2020, designed to provide emergency financial assistance to the millions of Americans who are suffering the economic effects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Representative James Clyburn (D-SC), chair of the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis, said in the March 25 hearing that the Trump administration ignored flags of potential fraud in the Economic Injury Disaster Loan program, and approved loans in batches with little to no vetting and abandoned a rule that required two SBA employees to approve each loan application., The Trump administration ignored flags of potential fraud, While a year has passed since the CARES Act became law and there are more checks now, government watchdogs say the Small Business Administrations oversight of the lending programs is still inadequate. Theyre not checking licenses. The program has traditionally been used to help small businesses facing revenue loss in the wake of natural disasters. The cases involve attempts to steal a total of more than $175 million from the program, with actual losses to the federal government totaling more than $70 million, the DOJ reports. Investigators say those accused made false statements about things like how many people they employ, their average monthly revenue, and payroll figures. In 111 instances, the zip code in the Small Business Administrations data did not match the state provided. judy norton children; court ordered community service california Louisiana has a total of 217,332 businesses that received Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans from the Small Business Administration. In July, banks filed nearly seven times the average number of suspicious activity reports. Suspicious activity reports for small business loan fraud continued at levels far higher than normal through the end of 2020, according to POGOs review of federal data. Greenbergs insider was a loan officer who began working for the agency in May 2020. There were additional steps that could have been undertaken that would not have significantly slowed downin our view in the oversight communitythe delivery of funds to the public, said Michael Horowitz, the Justice Departments inspector general and chair of the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee, in testimony before Congress on March 25. This map is your interactive guide to confirmed cases, recoveries and deaths from the coronavirus around the state, nation and world. As of this month, weve seized over $580 million from over 23,000 fraudulent EIDL loans.. On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. Making sure that victims of federal crimes are treated with compassion, fairness and respect. The inspector general offices workload has increased significantly, Grossman said. 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. When we receive complaints on PPP and EIDL fraud, we immediately coordinate with the Department of Justice, to see what their interest is in the case. A borrower applied for a PPP loan from a lender or bank. 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.. New Orleans, Louisiana 70130. While the multi-million dollar PPP loan scam cases get the national headlines, federal prosecutors are going after PPP loan fraud in all amounts. portville central school yearbooks; jennette mccurdy astroseek. And this is not the only case. project, POGO has been examining equitable access to government loans, grants, and contracts. Showing 50 of 9,060 results. 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. Lenders can be liable under the FCA for knowingly certifying ineligible borrowers for PPP loans, including by failing to employ sufficient anti-money laundering protocols, according to a memo from the Cleary Gottlieb law firm. [1] As the introductory phrase signifies, the entirety of the Complaint and the description of the Complaint set forth herein constitute only allegations, and every fact described should be treated as an allegation. 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. According to the Justice Department, Didier Kindambu obtained two loans by creating fraudulent payroll documentation for each business.. Origin Bank. The Small Business Administration has released a list of businesses that have received emergency pandemic loans. A locked padlock of Loans Jobs Retained 9,060 loans. Kindambu applied for two Paycheck Protection Program loans representing Papillon Holdings, Inc. and Papillon Air, Inc., according to court documents. katherine noelle wyman; cape breton post obituaries 2022. location symbol text in word; list of female jockeys australia; mike conley house columbus ohio address 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 maximum potential sentences are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendants will be determined by the judge. In connection with these loan applications, the defendants falsely and grossly overstated the number of employees at the Victoria Companies and wages paid to those employees in order to obtain larger loans. Civil enforcementwhere the evidentiary burden is lower than in criminal casesis another way of holding individuals and companies accountable. 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. I dont know why it is that that some people take advantage of a program like this in a time of crisis. 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. If approved, the SBA pays the lender back using federal funds. Created under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, the Paycheck Protection Program has lent out $755 billion to businesses as of April 11. Who in Louisiana got Paycheck Protection Program loans during the pandemic? She's accused of making up fake businesses to collect more than $20,000 through. Summary of PPP Loans in Louisiana. As the lending programs ramped up last summer, there was a spike in suspicious activity reports from banks and other lenders flagging potential fraud. According to the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis, the SBA Office of Inspector General has received nearly 750,000 referrals of suspected identity theft related to the program over the last year. Vance's (R-Ohio) call for a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP)-style plan to help workers and businesses affected by the East Palestine train . (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. 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. Its the first public case of fraud in these pandemic loan programs attributed to corruption within the agencys own ranks. AGs Office announces more than 50 arrests connected to Paycheck Protection Program fraud. However, not everyone taking part in the federal program was looking to keep their business doors open. Copyright 2021 WAFB. All totaled, in that city of 43,000 people lenders approved $1.3 million dollars just for barbershop owners. GOODWILL INDUSTRIES OF NORTH LOUISIANA INC. But, he added, the CARES Act removed that control, calling it a pivotal change.. But, in the Economic Injury Disaster Loan program, the Small Business Administration has not conducted robust data analysis to find instances of loans and grants that may have been fraudulently obtained, according to the Government Accountability Office. 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. Not all the blame can be placed at the Small Business Administrations feet. On applications for loans for two companies, Greenberg Media Group and DG3 Network, Greenberg allegedly lied about not being under indictment despite having been arrested by federal agents and charged just days earlierwith the indictment a matter of public record. 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. Loans through that program were directly processed by the Small Business Administration, while in the Paycheck Protection Program, loans were primarily processed by banks and other lenders. 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. However, industry insiders say the barbershop industry is largely cash-based, making it easy to operate under the radar. complaint (20-mag-12908). 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 My feeling is that despite the fraud, the program helped far, far, far more of my people than it hurt, said Kennedy. criminally charging someone for stealing $10,000 or less. An attorney for Aqeel, Tommy T. Mingledorff, told POGO by email that these allegations are denied. ) or https:// means youve safely connected to the .gov website. Using that public data, the 9 News Investigators took a close look at PPP loans given out in Louisiana. Public Information Director It Got a PPP Loan. The forgivable loans were meant to cover payroll for employees and, later, other eligible expenses at a time when customers werent coming in. DAVID RAINES COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER, INC. I urge anyone who believes he or she is a victim of this type of fraud to report it to the National Center for Disaster Fraud," said US Attorney Brandon Fremin. EVERY received these funds into her Current account, her Cash App account, or into her boyfriends Current account. . This table shows the top 5 industries in Louisiana by number of loans awarded, with average loan amounts and number of jobs reported. (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. Babysitter arrested after 5-year-old fatally shot by 6-year-old cousin. Jean Rabbittand Kevin Aguilarwere charged with bank fraud and conspiracy to engage in monetary transaction charges. However, the Trump administrations Justice Department also sought to assuage companies concerns, especially in regard to qui tam False Claims Act lawsuits. THE DELAHOUSSAYE CO., INC. $150K . Your Address, Corporation Income/Franchise Extension Request. The Department of Justice (DOJ) says as of Aug. 8, more than 5.2 million forgivable loans have been approved, at a total of more than $525 billion. BATON ROUGE, La. 66625. The PPP loan forgiveness is not subject to Louisiana state income tax. BATON ROUGE, La. 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. Have a question about Government Services? Buried within the court filing are allegations that Greenberg bribed an unnamed Small Business Administration insider to fraudulently obtain nearly $433,000 in Economic Injury Disaster loans. (212) 637-2600, Human Trafficking & Child Sexual Exploitation, Department of Justice Harassment Prevention Resource, Download Ngoc Manh Nguyen et al. 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. BATON ROUGE, La. The lender got to keep a fee based on the size of the loan. Dr. James Hobley: When should you be screened for colon cancer? More due diligence on the part of lenders or the Small Business Administration could have prevented at least some instances of fraud, especially when applicants appear to have inflated or fabricated payroll expenses or used defunct or bogus companies to illicitly obtain loans. In less than six months, more than 50 people have been charged with allegedly committing fraud in connection with the program. With more time, we might have been able to implement some preemptive fraud measures, but we knew there would be some fraud, said Kennedy. Its up to the SBA and the Justice Department to go after anyone caught stealing PPP money. The Veterans Administration, Office of the Inspector General, is an active member of the PRAC Fraud Task Force. So now, he says agencies must go after anyone who might be taking money theyre not entitled to. 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. PPP Loan Recipient List By State Louisiana 217,332 TOTAL PPP LOANS $12.2B TOTAL LOAN AMOUNT $56,095 AVERAGE PPP LOAN 6 AVG COMPANY SIZE Louisiana has a total of 217,332 businesses that received Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans from the Small Business Administration. Help us crowdsource fraud detection in the PPP program! It was this difficult road that we had about a week, but our bankers got it done and, and our businesswomen and businessmen stepped up to the plate and took advantage of it, said Sen. John Kennedy, R-La. In fraud cases where there is no apparent misuse of a loan, civil enforcement may be more likely than criminal prosecution. to fraudulently obtain the loan money. The rebates, funded by the CARES Act, are subject to Louisiana state income tax. Lock In another case, a Virginia resident obtained over $2.5 million from the Paycheck Protection Program and used the funds to buy not only a luxury car but a private plane. 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. 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. 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. SBA has fired employees and contractors who were involved in approving loans to themselves or who inappropriately influenced loan approval. The SBA has very broad rules, very, very large leeway on what the lender had to request from the bar to get that guarantee secure, said the SBA Louisiana District Director Michael Ricks. 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. Copyright 2020 WAFB. Filed under investigation The amounts varied from less than $2,000 to more than $20,000. For instance, in one larger case, the Justice Department has charged 19 individuals to date. In Louisiana, a federal grand jury recently indicted a Plaquemine woman named Lestreonia Rodrigue on fraud charges. Theres a lot of red flags that they look at in the data to help us determine if its something we need to look at deeper.. Nick Schwellenbach But such gaps can create ambiguities that muddy the waters in overseeing spending., Still, much can be done with the data that does exist. The DOJ says this ill-gotten money was in many cases used to buy luxury personal items like cars, homes, vacation trips, and jewelry. When the bank froze the funds, they froze as well, conducting Internet searches for topics related to PPP fraud. Allegedly, the family sought, ultimately unsuccessfully, to use the funds to purchase a $3.7 million mansion in Disney Worlds Golden Oak gated community. The Department of Justice confirms they are looking into reports of PPP fraud across the nation. What happens when the watchdog tasked with overseeing the most powerful law enforcement agency in the country doesnt do its job? According to an indictment, Sah submitted at least 15 fraudulent applications on behalf of at least 10 companies. EVERY then charged approximately $3,500.00 once the loans were funded. Ms. Strauss praised the investigative work of the SBA-OIG, FBI, and IRS-CI, and noted that the investigation remains ongoing. 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. Lawmaker wants police trained to handle Alzheimers, dementia patients, Health Minute: First at-home flu and COVID test authorized. According to the Board of Barber Examiners, to legally run a barbershop, an owner must have a business license and a barber license if they are cutting hair even if that business is run out of a home. Official websites use .gov Since last October, when POGO published a report examining trends in Paycheck Protection Program loan fraud at the programs six-month mark, several eye-popping cases of alleged fraud have emerged. We are concerned only with actionable fraud. He added that, in selecting enforcement targets, we will follow the law, and we will not pursue companies that access CARES Act programs in good faith and in compliance with the rules.. The PPP loans are forgivable under certain conditions and the loan forgiveness is not taxable income for federal tax purposes. Barbershops were one of the most common businesses to apply. Alabama Arkansas Arizona California Colorado Florida Georgia Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kentucky Kansas Louisiana Maine Maryland Michigan Minnesota Missouri Mississippi Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico North Carolina Oklahoma . 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 total of 73,824 loans were distributed to Louisiana leading to a reported 799,664 jobs being retained. U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of Louisiana, Former Louisiana Woman Indicted for Preparing Over 110 Fraudulent PPP Loans Totaling Over $1.1 Million Dollars, 2_ecf_doc_1_-_sharnae_every_indictment_redacted_sanitized.pdf, Dr. Charles J. Southall, III Sentenced to 60 Months in Prison for Money Laundering, Obtaining Over $889,000 Through Fraud, New Orleans Man Sentenced for Theft and Sale of Motor Vehicle from Mississippi Car Dealership, Two More New Orleans Residents Sentenced in Staged Automobile Collision Scheme, Former Louisiana Woman Indicted For Preparing Over 110 Fraudulent PPP Loans Totaling Over $1.1 Million Dollars. Please click here for further information. Generally, cases where there is any substantial gray areasuch as a lack of unambiguous evidence of fraud or when it wasnt clear what a government rule requiredare far more likely to lead to civil enforcement, or to no enforcement. As part of its own COVID-19 relief spending tracker The Small Business Administration distributed 5.8 million advance grants worth $20 billion last year (despite the name, these are not loans that have to be repaid). By the CARES Act, are subject to Louisiana state income tax shows the top 5 industries in,. 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