Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justices National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form. As a result many are dipping into government funding they dont actually qualify for. The couple was arrested for submitting fake tax returns to get a $500,000 line of credit on their house in . With more time, we might have been able to implement some preemptive fraud measures, but we knew there would be some fraud, said Kennedy. The line is staffed 24/7. Acts reported in a PPP loan fraud case in Louisiana may constitute wire fraud, bank fraud, money laundering, and other false claims. Its up to the SBA and the Justice Department to go after anyone caught stealing PPP money. You can search the SBA's entire PPP loan data below. A total of 8,617 loans were distributed to New Orleans, LA leading to a reported 101,109 jobs being retained. If approved, the SBA pays the lender back using federal funds. The case against EVERY began as a result of a referral from the COVID-19 Pandemic Response Accountability Committee ("PRAC") regarding possible fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program loans ("PPP"). Our firm is committed to providing aggressive legal representation to whistleblowers in Louisiana in order to maximize PPP loan fraud case compensation, while ensuring our clients are protected to the utmost extent of the law during the process. 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. Together, more than 5.5 million PPP loans were approved totaling more than $557.8 billion. Researchers estimate that $76 billion in PPP loan money was taken illicitly. BATON ROUGE, La. Loan Amount: $1-2 million: Business Address: 478 S. JOHNSTON STREET, 6TH DLOOR: Jobs Retained: 202: City, State Zip: NEW ORLEANS, LA 70112: Date Approved: 2020-04-28: Business Type: Corporation: NAICS Code: 621112: Race or Ethnicity: Unanswered: NAICS Description: Offices of Physicians, Mental Health Specialists: Gender: Male Owned: NAICS Category: Health Care and Social Assistance: Veteran Funds can also be used to pay interest on mortgages, rent, and utilities. Mon, Dec 26, 2022 . EVERYcharged $45.00 to $120.00 from the individuals she recruited to prepare and submit the fraudulent PPP application. Richard Ayvazyan and Marietta Terabelian from LA spent the money on a $3.25-million Mediterranean-style villa, gold coins, diamond . 100 people have been arrested so far. Investigators discovered at least 110 PPP sole proprietor loan applications in and around Thibodeaux, Louisiana, with the same invoices and federal tax forms (Schedule C), business name, and sums. 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. Investigators say those accused made false statements about things like how many people they employ, their average monthly revenue, and payroll figures. The owner of this website may receive compensation for those links, ads, promotions, and other types of links. Search. EVERYcreated all of the false and fraudulent invoices, bank statements, and Schedule Cs. Florida man buys $4.9M mansion using funds from PPP loan scheme, Attorney's Office says She was arrested and charged with child neglect with great bodily harm, tampering with a witness and . Based on the data, between $5,589,989,154 and $10,528,439,154 have been loaned through the Payroll Protection Program to businesses in Louisiana. Every single one of them produced and filed bogus and fraudulent PPP sole proprietor loan applications through numerous online portals, including but not limited to Blueacorn. 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. According to the United States Department of Justice official website, Six individuals were charged in an indictment with fraudulently obtaining approximately $1.5 million in Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans on behalf of five businesses based in Georgia and South Carolina. Another woman is currently seeking help on GoFundMe for the same reason. Both the U.S. Attorneys Office and the Louisiana Attorney General have encouraged the community to report suspected fraud. Federal investigators want you to speak up about PPP fraud, Federal investigators want you to speak up about PPP Fraud, Garret Graves says hes unsure about run for governor, Teen shot while walking to school (Full News Conference). "The PPP allows qualifying small businesses and other organizations to receive loans with a maturity of two years and an interest rate of one percent. Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can contact the Department of Justices National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or submit a complaint using the NCDF Web Complaint Form by following this link. For more information on the Department of Justices response to the pandemic, please visithttps://www.justice.gov/coronavirus. This table shows the top 5 industries in Louisiana by number of loans awarded, with average loan amounts and number of jobs reported. 1998 - 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved. EVERY created all of the false and fraudulent invoices, bank statements, and Schedule Cs. Disclaimer: The choice of an attorney is an important decision and should not be based solely upon advertisements. Federal laws such as the Fair Claims Act and similar state laws provide important protections for persons in Louisiana initiating a PPP loan fraud case. (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. 650 Poydras Street, Suite 1600 - New Orleans, LA 70130, Download 2_ecf_doc_1_-_sharnae_every_indictment_redacted_sanitized.pdf. New Orleans Military And Maritime Academy, Inc. Other Heavy and Civil Engineering Construction. Follow this link for more information on the Department of Justices response to the pandemic. 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. U.S. Attorney Evans reiterated that the indictment is merely a charge and that the guilt of the defendant must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt. PPP-Loan.info States / Location . Yesterday she commented Keep the donations coming yall my kids need me out here frfr. Of those, 3,053 . Louisiana crime statistics. Senator Kennedy admits the program may have had some holes in it, due to how quickly it was rolled out, and the loan program has been updated many times to expand eligibility. OnderLaw, LLC - PPP Loan Fraud Whistleblower 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. 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. 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. Many people have lost their jobs indefinitely are are struggling to find new sources of income. The accident, injury, personal injury, and/or other legal information offered herein by The Onder Law firm, is not formal legal advice, nor is it the formation of an attorney client relationship. Jan 18, 2023 | Louisiana State News, News, Traffic. The Veterans Administrations Office of Inspector General participates in the PRAC Fraud Task Force. The pandemic has forced the government to create different programs to help benefit those impacted most. 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. However, both Kennedy and Ricks say the good the program did far outweigh any possible fraud. To me, its like looting after a hurricane. They were approved on 04-08-2020 by the SBA for an amount of 460100 USD. Every one of the phony and fraudulent invoices, bank statements, and Schedule Cs was fabricated by them. STAGE 2 SECURITY LLC is a Subchapter S Corporation located at SOUTH JORDAN, UT with 29 employees. Complaints can also be filed online here. Gray had peoples identifying information through social media and used that to file numerous claims. In April, Congress authorized more than $300 billion in additional PPP funding. Making false statements on your PPP application 2. 1. The loan was facilitated by Capital One, National Association, MCLEAN, VA.Of the approved amount, CONTROL UNION USA INC has . AGs Office announces more than 50 arrests connected to Paycheck Protection Program fraud, Texarkana man on motorcycle injured after allegedly refusing to pull over for state trooper, Weekly Report: Arkansas Dept. The PPP loan application filed by J Films HD included an IRS form that stated that the company had paid its employees more than $8.3 million in 2019, according to the indictment. Name Jobs Reported Current Loan Loan Forgiveness; Amount ($) Date Approved Amount ($) Date; SHELTON RESTAURANT GROUP LLC: 500: 4,746,176: April 9, 2020: 4,802,480 Federal laws such as the Fair Claims Act and similar state laws provide . She forged a bank statement, false tax documents, and made misrepresentations in her PPP applications. Warren Easton Charter High School Foundation, Inc. Commercial Printing (except Screen and Books), All Other Miscellaneous General Purpose Machinery Manufacturing. . In mid July, Lawson proposed adding applications for the PPP to the scheme, with a $6,000 fee for the $20,000 loan. Nearly 11.5 million people filed applications, resulting in more than $792 billion worth of loans. The case against EVERY began as a result of a referral from the COVID-19 Pandemic Response Accountability Committee (PRAC) regarding possible fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program loans (PPP). Maybe, maybe not all.. protecting transportation workers and passengers from covid: gaps in safety, lessons learned, and next steps Former Louisiana Resident Indicted for Preparing Over 110 Fraudulent PPP Loan Applications Totaling Over $1.1 Million Dollars. 10 Red Flags for PPP Loan Fraud (Look for These During Your Company's Internal PPP Compliance Investigation) . Crowther used it to buy a $700,000 dollar catamaran and a lavish lifestyle. The Congregation Of The Roman Catholic Church Of . Dr. Nick Oberheiden is a nationally recognized expert on PPP loan laws. In addition, whistleblowers in Louisiana are eligible for significant compensation in successful PPP loan fraud cases. Burton was. New Orleans, Louisiana - On September 9, 2022, United States Attorney Duane A. Evans announced the indictment of Sharnae Every ("Every"), age 27, of Houston, Texas, who was charged with one count of Conspiracy to Commit Mail Fraud in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1349 and two counts of Mail Fraud in violation of Title 18, United States Code . On a $ 700,000 dollar catamaran and a lavish lifestyle on 04-08-2020 by the SBA & # x27 s! In the PRAC fraud Task Force lost their jobs indefinitely are are struggling find. Amounts and number of jobs reported phony and fraudulent invoices, bank statements, and misrepresentations... 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