Stanislav Bril, also known as “Stan Bril” and “Slava Bril,” by the judge who sentenced him to more than eleven years in in federal prison, will be known by Fraud of The Day as “Grossly Exaggerated.” Because, for all the schemes that he concocted over a thirteen-year span, court documents consistently claimed that Bril grossly exaggerated the facts for which he spent all illicit gains on personal expenses.
He initially operated a Ponzi scheme through his company, Mortgage Consultant Group (MCG), from October 2011 to August 2014. According to court documents, his scheme grossly exaggerated the opportunity to investors into believing that their funds were being used for real estate and construction loans, while in reality, Bril used the investments to finance his personal expenses and gambling. During that time, from October 2018 to June 2021, Bril had also fraudulently secured a $750,000 line of credit from a Scranton-based bank for his company, by grossly exaggerating his company’s operations and employee numbers. For which he used the funds for personal expenses. But it didn’t end here.
Between April 2020 and March 2021, Bril obtained over $6.7 million by submitting falsified applications for pandemic relief loans. How? By grossly exaggerating the number of employees and payroll expenses of non-existent companies. And again, the proceeds were spent on personal expenses. Luxury purchases, including a Los Angeles condominium, luxury vehicles, and extravagant vacations.
And if that wasn’t enough, from July 2019 to at least August 2021, Bril resurrected MCG to perpetrate yet another Ponzi scheme. Once again, grossly exaggerating the financial gains inducing investors to provide loans under false pretenses. But this time, no one believed him. Bril was found guilty and sentenced on September 14, 2024, to eleven years in prison.
Shout out to the FBI and IRS on catching this fraudster.
Today’s Fraud of The Day is based on article “Inside the Scandal: How One Man’s Deceit Unraveled Millions in Pandemic Relief Fraud” published by My ChesCo on September 14, 2024.
Stanislav Bril, also known as “Stan Bril” and “Slava Bril,” was sentenced Thursday to 135 months in federal prison by United States District Judge John M. Younge. Bril’s extensive fraudulent activities, which included the theft of over $6 million in federal pandemic relief funds, resulted in a sentence that also includes three years of supervised release, restitution exceeding $14 million, and a $2,400 special assessment.
Bril’s criminal exploits were manifold, spanning a decade and involving various fraudulent schemes. He initially operated a Ponzi scheme through his company, Mortgage Consultant Group (MCG), from October 2011 to August 2014. This scheme deceived investors into believing their funds were being used for real estate and construction loans, while in reality, Bril used the investments to finance his personal expenses and gambling.
