Mount Vernon, NY: A jury found three individuals guilty of stealing $7.6 million in COVID-19 assistance funds intended for struggling small companies during the pandemic.
In a federal courtroom on Friday afternoon in White Plains, Jacob Carter, brothers Anwar and Quadri Salahuddin, and a few of their supporters displayed stony emotions as the jury foreperson shared guilty verdicts for all three men on all counts.
The three men were remanded to jail following their verdicts, and they will be sentenced on May 29.
The three men, according to the prosecution, sought over 1,000 federal emergency business loans under the Small Business Administration in the identities of over 1,000 individuals.
As per the agency’s protocol at the time, the SBA advanced the applicants up to $10,000 while the loan applications were still pending.
For applicants with ten or more employees, the SBA awarded $1,000 per employee up to $10,000.
The applicants shared some of their advances with Carter and the Salahuddin brothers, according to the prosecution, although they were illegitimate business owners who did not require COVID-19 relief.
The three men informed the judge they have jobs, families, and no intention of skipping out on their sentence in an attempt to avoid going to jail between the date of their convictions and their sentencing.
The judge agreed with the prosecution’s assertion that the men posed a flight risk. The men faced convictions for identity theft, wire fraud, and conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
The maximum term for wire fraud is 20 years, as is the sentence for conspiracy to conduct wire fraud. A conviction for identity theft carries a minimum two-year penalty.
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