Crime
One Massachusetts man and three Florida residents are accused of submitting fraudulent pandemic relief applications and collecting kickbacks.
A Boston man and three Florida residents have been charged in connection with an alleged multi-state scheme that fraudulently obtained $7 million in COVID-19 relief funds, the U.S. Attorney’s Office says.
Lorne Johnson, 38, of Boston; Sniders Jean-Jacques, 38, of Miami; Tanya Pierre, 28, of Miami; and Ashley Spike, 31, of Miramar, Florida, were indicted on one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, according to a statement from Massachusetts U.S. Attorney Leah Foley’s office.
Johnson was arrested and appeared in federal court in Boston, whereas Jean-Jacques and Pierre appeared in federal court in Miami and Spike appeared in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Foley said. All four are expected to appear in federal court in Boston at a later date.
According to court documents, the defendants allegedly submitted fraudulent applications to the Paycheck Protection Program, a federal COVID-19 relief initiative designed to help small businesses retain employees during the pandemic.
Beginning in March 2021, the four and others allegedly recruited borrowers who were not eligible for PPP loans, according to the charging documents. The group then allegedly falsely claimed the borrowers operated qualifying businesses and created fraudulent tax forms to support the applications.
The indictment alleges the scheme resulted in approximately $7 million in PPP funds.
The defendants and others allegedly collected kickbacks — commonly about 30% of the loan proceeds — from the borrowers in exchange for securing the funds, the charging documents state.
Jean-Jacques and Pierre were also charged in a separate indictment with conspiracy to commit wire and bank fraud related to a scheme to obtain mortgage loans and apartment leases, Foley’s office said.
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