South Florida CEO and a Miami Woman Stole Millions in Federal Pandemic Loans, Officials Say; Wayne County Men Charged in Pandemic Fraud Scheme, and other C-Virus related stories

By admin On Feb 18, 2024

South Florida CEO and a Miami woman stole millions in federal pandemic loans, officials say:

A former South Florida CEO and a Miami woman were sentenced to over two years of prison time for gaming a government loan program meant to aid those struggling with the COVID-19 pandemic.

The two separate cases are the newest resolved as prosecutors continue to crack down on the fraudulent use of the Paycheck Protection Program, a small business federal relief program introduced early in the pandemic.

Maritza Morales Hermoso, 58, of Miami, was sentenced to 70 months in federal prison on Feb. 5 for money laundering nearly $2 million from the program, records show. She was charged with two counts of money laundering and two counts of engaging in transactions in criminally derived property.

Former CEO Gregory Scott Keough, 57, of Wellington, was sentenced to 30 months on Feb. 8 for money laundering and two counts of wire fraud. He also obtained about $2 million in fraudulent funds, records show.

Over 200 South Floridians have been charged with defrauding the program, submitting hundreds of millions of dollars in applications deemed bogus by federal prosecutors.

On Feb. 2, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida announced a Broward Sheriff’s Office lieutenant was charged with defrauding it, joining 17 other BSO employees who were also charged last year. —>READ MORE HERE

Wayne County men charged in Pandemic fraud scheme:

Two Wayne County men have been charged with allegedly committing COVID-19 pandemic fraud.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced Wednesday, that Robert M. Reynolds, 69, of Newfoundland, Wayne County was charged with pandemic fraud.

According to U.S. Attorney Gerard M. Karam, the indictment alleges from May 2020 to August 2021, Reynolds aided and abetted another in submitting false applications and weekly certifications for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) benefits with the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry.

Karam says the applications and weekly certifications claimed that Reynolds was unemployed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, had earnings for each quarter of 2019, and could accept a job if offered, when in fact, he was retired.