A second complaint surrounding an individual purchasing extravagant cars and luxury items with fraudulently obtained coronavirus stimulus money surfaced on Tuesday.
This time, it's a Texas man who allegedly secured $1.6 million in Paycheck Protection Program loans and purchased a Lamborghini Urus along with numerous other goods. The US Department of Justice said a Houston man submitted two applications for PPP loans through the CARES Act and allegedly named two companies that required payroll assistance. The first received $900,000 and the second received $700,000.
The complaint adds that although the application stated both companies had numerous employees with vast payroll expenses, neither company for which the man applied for the loans employs anyone at all. One application also allegedly lists a CEO who's deceased, having passed away a month before the individual filed the PPP application.
The $1.6 million was used to purchase an Urus SUV and a Rolex, and allegedly funded a variety of real estate transactions, the Justice Department said. As if that weren't enough, part of the fraudulent money went toward a 2020 Ford F-350 pickup as well. As a reminder, this money was meant to fund small businesses desperate to stay afloat amid the coronavirus pandemic. The loans are forgivable as long as business owners use the money to cover payroll, interest, rent, mortgages and utilities in a set time period.
The man is charged with making false statements to a financial institution, wire fraud, bank fraud and engaging in unlawful monetary transactions.
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