A South Florida man attempted to take $4.2 million in COVID-19 relief funds by filing false loan applications.
Valesky Barosy, 27, appeared in Fort Lauderdale federal court, according to court records. Barosy is charged with five counts of wire fraud, three counts of money laundering and one count of aggravated identity theft.
If convicted, Barosy faces up to 132 years in prison.
According to an indictment, Barosy submitted fraudulent loan applications on behalf of himself and his accomplices, seeking more than $4.2 million in Paycheck Protection Program loans.
Barosy falsified the applicant’s prior-year expenses, net profit and payroll, and submitted fraudulent IRS tax forms.
Barosy and his accomplices received approximately $2.1 million in loans from the fraudulent scheme, investigators said. He purchased luxury items such as Lamborghini Huracán EVO, Rolex and Hublot watches and designer clothing from Louis Vuitton, Gucci and Chanel, officials said.
Attorneys for Barosy didn’t immediately respond to messages seeking comment about the charges from The Associated Press.
Yahoo reported that “the Paycheck Protection Program represents billions of dollars in forgivable small business loans for Americans struggling because of the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s part of the coronavirus relief package that became federal law in 2020.”
This article was originally sourced by www.yahoo.com.
