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Tag: COVID-19 Relief Funds
Freeport Tax Preparer Stole $2M Through False Returns, Covid-19 Relief Fraud, DOJ Says
A Long Island tax preparer is facing federal charges for allegedly orchestrating a massive $12 million fraud scheme.
Damaris Beltre, 57, of Freeport, was indicted on wire fraud and related charges in Central Islip federal court on Wednesday, March 12, after filing hundreds of false tax returns and stealing COVID-19 relief funds, prosecutors alleged.
Beltre ran multiple tax preparation businesses where she falsely inflated tax refunds for clients, claiming fake dependents, fraudulent sick leave, and fuel tax credits, according to prosecutors. She allegedly charged a percentage of …
North Wales Dad Stole $43K From Softball Non-Profit While Raising $25K+ From GoFundMe DA
A North Wales man is accused of stealing over $43,000 from a youth baseball and softball organization while serving as its vice president of finance, Montgomery County officials announced Tuesday, Feb. 4.
Christopher Pekula, 49, was charged with multiple felonies, including Theft by Unlawful Taking and Theft by Deception, following an investigation into his handling of the Montgomery Township Baseball and Softball Association's (MTBSA) finances. The alleged thefts took place from October 2018 to October 2023, authorities said.
The investigation began on April 8, 2024, when new board members…
Founder Of LGBTQ+ Non-Profit In DC Pleads Guilty To Fraud After 'Unexpected Return' To US: Feds
The trailblazing founder of Casa Ruby, a DC-based non-profit that had provided services to the LGBTQ+ community admitted to stealing at least $150,000 in COVID relief funds and stashing it in Central America for her personal use, authorities announced
Ruby Corado, 53, pleaded guilty on Wednesday in US District Court to diverting the taxpayer-backed emergency funds to private off-shore bank accounts, which then was used for her own gain.
She was charged in March with bank fraud, wire fraud, laundering of monetary instruments, monetary transactions in criminally derived proceeds, and fai…
$100K Scheme: CT Man Fraudulently Obtained COVID Relief Funds, Used For Personal Expenses
A Connecticut man has admitted to fraudulently obtaining $100,000 in COVID-19 relief funds meant for his small business and instead using it for personal expenses, federal officials said.
Tolland County resident John Matava of Coventry, age 59, pleaded guilty on Tuesday, Jan. 2 to charges related to his scheme to obtain COVID-19 relief funds, the US Attorney's Office for the District of Connecticut announced.
According to federal officials, in April 2020, Matava applied for a $100,000 Paycheck Protection Program loan from Celtic Bank for his purported business, J.…
PA Woman Stole $162K In Covid-19 Relief Funds Intended For Renters Facing Eviction
A 53-year-old Pennsylvania woman stole more than $162,000 in COVID-19 relief funds intended for renters facing eviction or utility shut-off, authorities said.
Tina M. Yorgey, of Norristown, was charged with multiple counts of theft, receiving stolen property, forgery, and other related offenses, Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin R. Steele said on Friday, Sept. 30.
Prosecutors say Yorgey received $162,680 in funding on nine COVID Emergency Rental Assistance and Utility Coalition (ERUC) applications by submitting fraudulent claims and forged documents.
An investigation…
Man Charged In Westchester For $1.6M Fraud Scheme, Feds Say
A man from the region has been charged in connection to a scheme to defraud the US Small Business Administration of more than $1.6 million in COVID-19 relief funds, federal authorities announced.
An indictment outlining the charge against Rockland County resident Elizier Scher, age 33, of Spring Valley, were unsealed on Thursday, June 9 at White Plains federal court after his arrest earlier in the morning, Damian Williams, the US Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and Michael J. Driscoll, the Assistant Director-in-Charge of the New York Office of the FBI, announced.
The SB…
