LOS ANGELES—An Orange County man was sentenced Feb. 17 to 4 1/2 years in federal prison for fraudulently obtaining $5 million in COVID-relief loans for his sham businesses, then used the money on himself, including purchasing Ferrari, Bentley, and Lamborghini cars. Mustafa Qadiri, 42, of Irvine, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Josephine L. Staton,…
Irvine Man Gets 4.5 Years in Prison for $5 Million COVID-Loan Fraud
Beverly Hills Father, Son Sentenced to Prison for COVID Relief Fraud
A Beverly Hills father and son were sentenced Dec. 12 to federal prison for defrauding COVID-19 relief programs, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Ramiro Da Rosa Mendes, 61, of Beverly Hills, was sentenced to 41 months in federal prison and ordered to pay more than $2.2 million in restitution. Mendes pleaded guilty in September to one count…
Federal Pandemic Program Forgave $809 Million in PPP Loans to White-Shoe Law Firms: Watchdog
Federal officials forgave $809 million in Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans handed out during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 to more than 100 of the nation’s top law firms and another $635 million given to hundreds of elite accounting offices, according to a new analysis of government spending to be made public on Dec. 2….
Texas Couple Accused of Defrauding Paycheck Protection Program for $684,000
A Texas couple is accused of defrauding the Paycheck Protection Program for more than $684,000. Patrick Kasong Muyej, 48, and Chisanga Mable Scott, 43, were indicted on one count each of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Chad E. Meachum announced Monday in a news release. In March…
Man Gets Over 8 Years in Prison for $6.6 Million COVID Loan Fraud
A Riverside County man was sentenced Nov. 14 to 102 months in federal prison for falsely obtaining over $6.6 million in COVID-19 small business relief funds. Muhammad Atta, 39, of Corona, was also ordered by the judge to pay about $6.64 million in restitution. “It’s important that the sentence imposed today sends the message that…
Claudia Tenney Demands Transparency on Planned Parenthood’s Massive COVID-19 Loans
Rep. Claudia Tenney (R-N.Y.) is calling on the Small Business Administration to explain why it forgave $67 million in Paycheck Protection Program loans to Planned Parenthood affiliates—loans that these abortion clinics should never have gotten in the first place. In a letter first obtained by The Daily Signal, Tenney and her Republican colleagues told Inspector General Hannibal…
4 People Charged in Multimillion-Dollar Fraud Scheme Syphoning Federal COVID-19 Funds
A Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) fraud scheme that involved nearly 100 individuals across the country and had acquired up to $1 million in fraudulent loans has ended in four defendants being charged in the U.S. Department of Justice’s District of South Carolina. In 2020, Congress passed the largest financial support package in U.S. history: the…
LA Man in $27 Million COVID Relief Fraud Sentenced to 11 Years
LOS ANGELES—An Encino man was sentenced July 19 to 11 years and three months behind bars for attempting to bilk the federal coronavirus Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) out of $27 million by submitting more than two dozen bogus applications for loans. Robert Benlevi, 53, was also ordered to pay $3 million in restitution, according to…
‘Poorly Targeted’ $800 Billion Paycheck Protection Program Only Reached 25 Percent of Employees: Study
A multi-billion-dollar pandemic-era stimulus program meant chiefly to help small businesses keep staff on the payroll and hire back laid off employees was poorly targeted, with only about one-quarter of the money supporting jobs that would otherwise have disappeared, a new Fed report shows. Lockdowns and a collapse in consumer spending during the first wave…
75 Percent of ‘Poorly Targeted’ $800 Billion PPP Money Sent to Unintended Recipients: Study
A multi-billion-dollar pandemic-era stimulus program meant chiefly to help small businesses keep staff on the payroll and hire back laid off employees was poorly targeted, with only about one-quarter of the money supporting jobs that would otherwise have disappeared, a new Fed report shows. Lockdowns and a collapse in consumer spending during the first wave…
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