Reports

Tampa, FL – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the unsealing of an indictment charging Willie F. Murray, Jr. (55, West Park, FL) with six counts of wire fraud and three counts of aggravated identity theft. If convicted, Murray faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison for each wire fraud count followed by a consecutive two years of imprisonment for each aggravated identity theft count. The indictment also notifies Murray that the United States intends to forfeit $5,671,611.74 in U.S. currency, $1,578,925.56 from a bank account, and seven real properties located in...

Terrence L. Pounds, 47, of Holland, Ohio was sentenced to 94 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Pamela Barker after earlier pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud and money laundering. He was also ordered to pay $4,239,940.43 to the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) and serve 3 years of supervised release.

Abuse of public benefits programs, particularly shameful when those defrauding the government are public servants, will not be tolerated and not forgotten with the passage of time from the darkest days of the COVID-19 pandemic,” stated United States Attorney Peace. “The defendants’ theft of relief money, despite holding jobs with good salaries and benefits, so they could purchase real estate, cryptocurrency and pay off credit card bills with the stolen funds, is deserving of jail sentences. This Office and our agency partners will continue working to bring to justice those fraudsters who take...

An Atlanta man who provided phony documentation to receive small business pandemic relief payments has been sentenced to prison and ordered to repay the funding.

Tampa, FL –United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that a federal jury has found Alexander Alli (39, Riverview) guilty of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and two counts of wire fraud. Alli faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison on each count. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for June 10, 2024. Alli was indicted on January 18, 2023.

“This defendant used fraud and deceit on an extraordinary scale to exploit government programs designed to keep struggling small businesses afloat during an unprecedented public health crisis,” stated United States Attorney Peace. “Today’s sentence sends a strong message to all those who saw the public response to the COVID-19 pandemic as little more than a get-rich-quick scheme: this Office will find you and prosecute you to the fullest extent of the law.”

BOSTON – A Stoughton pleaded guilty yesterday to fraudulently obtaining COVID-19-related small business loans from several financial institutions.

NEW ORLEANS – U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that NIPUN DESAI, formerly of Hammond, La., but now a California resident, age 55, was charged on March 8, 2024, with making false statements related to the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act).