men in louisiana sentenced to 10 years in prison Money laundering related to fraud schemes, including Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) Program loans.
scheme
According to court documents, Michael Ansezell Tolliver filed nine fraudulent PPP and fraudulent claims against several companies allegedly owned by Tolliver, including Tolliver Oil & Gas Corporation of Louisiana Inc. and Tolliver Petroleum Corporation of Louisiana. I submitted a loan application for the EIDL program.
In his PPP application, Tolliver certified that the funds would be used “to maintain workers and maintain salaries.” Tolliver falsely claimed that the company had 108 employees of his and that his average monthly salary was $265,889.60, and also filed his fake IRS Form 940.
take
According to prosecutors, Tolliver was seeking over $7.6 million in loans for PPP and EIDL programs. In the end, he won his over $1.1 million.
“Mr. Tolliver chose greed over compassion by fraudulently obtaining funds from PPP and EIDL programs set up to help employers severely affected by the pandemic,” said an IRS detective. Investigative (IRS-CI) Atlanta Field Office Special Agent James E. Dorsey said: “Tolliver’s ruling today should stand as a warning to those who have, or may have been, fraudulently receiving funds intended to help businesses during the COVID epidemic.” CI and he SBA investigated this incident.
price
Tolliver is originally charged It includes two cases of wire fraud and three cases of money laundering. In December 2022, Tolliver pleaded guilty to one count of his money laundering. On May 2, 2023, Tolliver was sentenced to ten years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay $1,114,724 in damages.
“Today’s significant ruling demonstrates that those who steal from the COVID-19 relief program for personal gain will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” said the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. said Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. “We remain committed to rooting out the bad guys using federal programs aimed at helping small businesses in real need.”
how he spends his money
Tolliver laundered the loan proceeds by transferring funds to personal bank accounts and purchasing luxury items. Authorities seized approximately $128,500 from bank accounts and seized a 2020 Cadillac CT5 sedan, a 2021 GMC Sierra 1500 truck, two Tissot watches, two Tag Heuer watches, and three Honda all-terrain vehicles.
“The defendant stole over $1 million through fraudulent means and used the funds to support his personal lifestyle from people whose legitimate businesses have suffered losses due to the COVID-19 pandemic. in the Louisiana area. “Federal programs like this are set up to help those in need, not to benefit fraudsters. We look forward to continuing to work with the Criminal Affairs Division’s Fraud Division to actively investigate similar crimes related to the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Report abuse
Since the CARES Act’s inception, the Justice Department’s Fraud Division has prosecuted more than 200 defendants in more than 130 criminal cases and purchased more than $78 million in cash proceeds, numerous real estate and proceeds from fraudulent activities. Seized luxury goods. Earn PPP funding.
IRS-CI and law enforcement agencies often rely on taxpayer tips to initiate and strengthen investigations. If you have information about an attempted fraud claim related to COVID-19, call the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline at 866‑720‑5721 or NCDF Web Complaint Form.
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