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Westfield Man Admits To Defrauding COVID Relief Fund Of $900K: Feds

A 66-year-old Westfield man recently admitted to fraudulently obtaining a $900,000 PPP loan during the COVID-19 pandemic, authorities said. 

Martin Luther King Courthouse

Martin Luther King Courthouse

Photo Credit: Hudconja/Wikimedia Commons

Joseph McKeon applied for PPP loans on behalf of his New Jersey company, falsely claiming a higher number of employees and inflated payroll figures, US Attorney Philip Sellinger said. To support his claims, McKeon submitted forged documents, including bank statements and tax returns, Sellinger said.

McKeon withdrew significant amounts of cash and transferred portions of the money, including a $315,504 transaction to an Indiana title company, Sellinger said. McKeon's fraud lasted from February 2021 to February 2022, Sellinger said.

He pleaded guilty in Newark federal court to charges of wire fraud and money laundering, Sellinger said. He will be sentenced next April.

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