Florida tax preparer Leonel Rivero has been charged with COVAD-19 fraud scheme to obtain 118 relief loans under the US government's Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), the Department of Justice said in a release in Wednesday
WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 17th March, 2021) Florida tax preparer Leonel Rivero has been charged with COVAD-19 fraud scheme to obtain 118 relief loans under the US government's Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), the Department of Justice said in a release in Wednesday.
"According to the allegations in the information, Leonel Rivero, 35, of Miami, owned a tax-preparation business and submitted approximately 118 fraudulent PPP loan applications on behalf of himself and his accomplices. Combined, the 118 PPP loan applications sought more than $2.3 million in PPP loans," the release said.
The Justice Department said in the release that Rivero and his conspirators obtained about $975,582 in PPP loans by falsifying the applicant's prior-year income and expenses and submitting false tax forms.
If convicted, Rivero faces a prison term of up to 20 years, the release said.
Earlier this month, the US government charged four persons in Los Angeles, California, for their alleged participation in a conspiracy to commit fraud with COVID-19 relief funds in the amount of $21.9 million.
