COVID-19

MIAMI — Daniela Rendon, 31, of Miami made her appearance in federal magistrate court today and was charged with fraudulently obtaining COVID-19 relief loans and grants under the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and the Economic Injury Disaster Relief Program. According to the indictment, Rendon submitted fraudulent applications seeking COVID-19 relief funds from the Small Business Administration and PPP. She is...

Three California companies have agreed to pay a total of $530,000 to settle allegations that they knowingly violated the False Claims Act when they received and retained more than one Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan prior to Dec. 31, 2020, in violation of PPP rules. La Baguette, LLC, which operates a bakery in Palo Alto, has agreed to pay $430,000...

Maryland Felon Sentenced to 18 Months in Federal Prison for Fraudulently Obtaining More Than $419,000 in COVID-19 CARES Act Loans While on Probation for a Previous Federal Conviction The Defendant Made False Statements on the Applications to Obtain the Loans, Then Misappropriated Some of the Funds to Pay Her Personal Expenses, including a Car, a Boat, a Vacation, and Tickets...

A rapper who boasted in a YouTube music video about getting rich quickly by scamming a COVID relief program was sentenced today to 77 months in federal prison. Fontrell Antonio Baines, 33, a.k.a. “Nuke Bizzle,” of Memphis, Tennessee, was sentenced by United States District Judge Michael W. Fitzgerald, who also ordered him to pay $704,760 in restitution to the California...

LOS ANGELES – A Riverside County man was sentenced today to 60 months in federal prison for using hundreds of thousands of dollars from the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) for personal expenses such as luxury cars after he obtained a COVID-business relief loan for more than $7 million on behalf of his pothole-repair company. Oumar Sissoko, 59, of Murrieta, was...

A federal jury in Atlanta convicted a South Carolina man today of fraudulently obtaining a $300,000 forgivable Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan guaranteed by the Small Business Administration (SBA) under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Travis Crosby, 32, of Wellford, conspired to submit a PPP loan application...

Los Angeles (CA) – Probably 2021 was not a year for the books for Hadari Oshri. And things aren't looking up in 2022 either. Last year, the American-Israeli entrepreneur lost her meritless restraining order case against me. My anti-SLAPP court win was a powerful reminder of why First Amendment Rights are celebrated, honored and protected by Americans. And as an...

A federal jury convicted a New York man this week in an over $600 million health care fraud, wire fraud, and identity theft scheme. According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Mathew James, 54, of East Northport, operated a medical billing company that billed for procedures that were either more serious or entirely different than those James’ doctor-clients...

AN IMPORTANT NOTE: On June 22, 2021, Hadari Oshri –Marc Lubaszka’s business partner– filed a civil harassment restraining order (CHRO) against Investor News reporter Aitana Vargas to stop the publication of her investigative series “A Special Report: The Harrowing Impunity of White-Collar crime,” and any subsequent installments or future media coverage. On August 3, 2021, Vargas filed an anti-SLAPP...

"A Special Report: The Harrowing Impunity of White-Collar Crime" competes for top journalism award Los Angeles (CA) – Investor News correspondent Aitana Vargas just walked the red carpet at the LA Press Club 64th Annual Awards Gala, which is being held at the Sheraton Universal Hotel in Universal City tonight and honors journalism and editorial excellence across Southern California in...