When people are like-minded, they generally share similar opinions or preferences. If you’re really into kittens but all your friends like dogs, go to the cat show to meet your like-minded people. Then you can chat about kittens all day long. Like-minded people normally get along! If you love history, you might go to a Renaissance Faire to meet like-minded people. If you love dill pickles, you will find fellow dillsters at the Dill Pickle Festival held every year in Maryland. Like-minded people stick together! If your passion is fraud, you can find your people at the Arizona Federal Court. Head over there and you might meet Jason Coleman, Kimberly Coleman, Willie Mitchell and Sean Swaringer who have found they have like-minded interests in fraud. They will be together there for a while.
On June 9, 2023, Coleman, Coleman, Mitchell and Swaringer were sentenced to serve between 8 to 10 years in prison for separate wrongdoings but for really the same crime. Payment Protection Loan (PPP) fraud. Jason Coleman and Kimberly Coleman, already like-minded as a happily married couple, submitted two dozen fraudulent loan applications in an attempt to receive more than $30 million in funds. Sean Swaringer obtained his loans on behalf of Cryotherapy for Veterans, an organization helping veterans with PTSD. Willie Mitchell also used the cover of a program that does good for others, by applying for loans to build housing for the disabled. All these were for fraudulent services that were never delivered. Is there a group for people who don’t deliver on their promised services? Why yes there is. The High-Class Society of Fraudsters.
In total, these four likeminded fraudsters stole almost $27 million from the U.S. taxpayer in fraudulent loans. Ridiculously extravagant shopping would be another thing they have in common. All of them spent those funds on personal items like vehicles, properties, jewelry, and vacations. Now these like-minded people can have club meetings in prison. All fraudsters are welcome to join.
Great job by the FBI and the IRS in these investigations.
Today’s Fraud Of The Day is based on article “4 sentenced to 8 to 10 years in prison for millions of dollars in PPP loan fraud” published by AZ Central on June 9, 2023
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for Arizona says four people have been sentenced for fraudulently obtaining millions of dollars in federal COVID-19 assistance, including a couple who netted $13 million.
Federal prosecutors said Thursday that four people in three separate cases were recently given “significant prison terms” for taking advantage of Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans.
