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Feds: Bergen Man Used Dead Brother's Identity To Get COVID Relief Loan

A Bergen County man stole his dead brother’s identity to get a $150,000 COVID economic disaster loan, said federal authorities who arrested him Thursday.

U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL)

U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL)

Photo Credit: sba.gov

Nathanael Zimmerman, 40, of Wyckoff also orchestrated a mortgage fraud scheme among applicants for Federal Housing Administration-FHA insured loans, submitting bogus bank statements and collecting a portion of the proceeds, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig said.

The loans defaulted and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development lost more than $300,000, she said.

Last year, Zimmerman used his deceased brother’s personal identification information to obtain a U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) in his name, Honig said.

Honig credited special agents of the FBI and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Office of Inspector General with the investigation leading to Zimmerman’s arrest on charges of wire fraud, bank fraud and aggravated identity theft.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sammi Malek and Andrew Kogan of Honig’s Criminal Division in Newark are handling the case.

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