94 People in Florida Accused of Defrauding the Government During COVID-19 Pandemic, So Far; Ex-Palm Springs Restaurant Owner Admits to $4 Million in Pandemic Relief Fraud, and other C-Virus related stories

By admin On Aug 3, 2024

94 people in Florida accused of defrauding the government during COVID-19 pandemic, so far:

$84 million is believed to be fraudulently used

Dozens in Florida, including several people in Jacksonville, are paying the price after they were accused of misusing COVID-19 loans.

A government list released recently had 89 names of people federal investigators say took money from the federal government during the pandemic and didn’t use it how they said they would.

Since the list was sent out by the US Attorney on Monday, more names have been added.

“Now the list has 94 names because we have charged another five cases,” told US Attorney Roger Handberg.

Federal investigators with the US Attorney’s Office say more than $84 million is believed to be fraudulently used.

“You look at these simpler schemes and you wonder how people thought they were going to keep this money forever,” said Michael Walfield, Assistant Special Agent in Charge with IRS Criminal Investigations.

Walfield said some of the claims were head-scratching.

“It was a claim that it was a necessary expense to pay off gambling losses to talk to clients, the jury didn’t believe that made any sense,” he said.

Walfield was part of the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force which was made up of multiple agencies who tracked down people they say were defrauding the government and costing you money.

“Ultimately it is either the banks or the taxpayers or both that pay this money and as a business owner that is often recouped through the taxpayer,” Walfield said. —>READ MORE HERE

Ex-Palm Springs restaurant owner admits to $4 million in pandemic relief fraud:

A former downtown Palm Springs restaurant owner has agreed to plead guilty to defrauding federal pandemic relief programs out of more than $4 million, court records show.

Philip Frederick Camino, who owned Stout Burgers and Beer, submitted over 20 fraudulent applications to the loan programs aimed at helping businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a complaint filed by federal prosecutors. He used two people identified only as co-conspirators to include additional companies in his scheme, giving a kickback payment of $100,000 to one of them.

In all, prosecutors say, Camino’s businesses across California got more than $4.1 million in loans.

Described as a Canadian citizen controlling several companies related to Stout and other businesses, Camino signed an agreement May 31 saying he will plead guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud, a felony. He was scheduled to appear in court on Monday, but an update was not provided as of Tuesday afternoon.

The Federal Public Defender’s Office, which is representing Camino, did not respond to requests for comment.

Stout Burgers and Beer was a chain gourmet burger restaurant with several locations across California. Its Palm Springs franchise was in the same building as the Rowan Hotel downtown and apparently closed in the fall of 2023, according to social media postings.