Reports

Two brothers from Sedona, Arizona, pleaded guilty for conspiring with one another and others to defraud the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) out of nearly $109 million in loans intended to help small businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Greenbelt, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Lydia K. Griggsby sentenced Andra Shirone Thompson, 48, of Silver Spring, Maryland, to a year and a day for two counts of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Thompson pled guilty to conspiring to defraud Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act loan programs and his role in a years-long scheme to defraud commercial equipment financing companies

HONOLULU – Acting United States Attorney Kenneth M. Sorenson announced that Martin Kao, 51, of Honolulu, was sentenced today in federal court by Senior United States District Judge Leslie E. Kobayashi to 87 months imprisonment followed by 5 years of supervised released for COVID-relief wire fraud, money laundering, and bank fraud.

HONOLULU – On January 9, 2025, Senior United States District Judge J. Michael Seabright sentenced Christopher A. Mazzei, 46, and Erin V. Mazzei, 43, both of Arroyo Grande, California, to 36 months and 27 months of imprisonment, respectively, for conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering in connection with a scheme to defraud the government of forgivable Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan funds intended for Coronavirus-related relief.

FRANCESCO DISTEFANO and a co-defendant allegedly used fraud proceeds to purchase a Lamborghini Huracan, Maserati Ghibli, and Porsche 911.

An indictment was unsealed yesterday in the Northern District of Texas charging two co-founders of Blueacorn, a lender service provider, in connection with a scheme to fraudulently obtain COVID-19 relief money guaranteed by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) through the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.

A federal superseding indictment was unsealed Monday in the District of Oregon charging an Arizona man and three associates for conspiring with one another and others to devise and carry out a scheme that attempted to defraud the U.S. Small Business Administration out of at least $178 million in loans intended to help small businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Baltimore, Maryland –Senior United States District Judge James K. Bredar sentenced Ayaz Qureshi, age 55, of Severna Park, Maryland to a year and a day in federal prison, followed by two years of supervised release, in connection with a conspiracy to commit wire fraud affecting financial institutions, relating to more than $250,000 in fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”) benefits. PPP benefits were a program created by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (“CARES”) Act, which was a federal law enacted in March 2020 to provide emergency financial assistance to Americans...

Mycheal Arnell Brady, also known as “Michael Brady,” has been indicted on federal charges of wire fraud and aggravated identity theft, for stealing COVID-19 relief funds and submitting fraudulent federal tax refunds using the stolen identities of multiple individuals. Brady has also been charged with possession of unauthorized access devices that contained dozens of the identity theft victims’ personal information, including their Social Security numbers.

Malaina Chapman, 37, of Hialeah, Fla. has been charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud and bank fraud. She had her initial appearance in Miami federal court today.