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$1M Pandemic Aid Heist: 2 Consultants Charged
Two Minneapolis-based business consultants, Tezzaree El-Amin Champion, 27, and Marcus Alexander Hamilton, 27, have been hit with a $1 million pandemic aid heist indictment.
MINNEAPOLIS – In a brazen scheme, Tezzaree El-Amin Champion, 27, and Marcus Alexander Hamilton, 27, defrauded COVID-19 pandemic aid programs of more than $1 million while serving as business advisors to Hennepin County, announced U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger.
“During the COVID-19 pandemic, at a time when small businesses were suffering deep economic losses, local and federal government agencies stepped in to provide support. These defendants saw this as an opportunity to defraud the aid programs by submitting phony invoices and applications for benefits,” said U.S. Attorney Andrew Luger.
According to court documents, Champion and Hamilton devised and carried out a fraud scheme to obtain funds from a variety of federal, state, local, and private COVID-19 relief programs through their company, Futuristic Management Group LLC, a Minnesota-based small business consulting firm.
As part of the scheme, Champion, the founder and CEO of Futuristic Management, and Hamilton, the chief operating officer, caused the consulting firm to enter into contracts with Hennepin County under a COVID-19 relief program called “Elevate Business,” also known as “Elevate Hennepin.” Under the contracts, Hennepin County agreed to pay Futuristic Management to provide technical assistance services to client businesses that were located in Hennepin County at no cost to the clients.
Instead of abiding by the terms of the contracts, Champion and Hamilton billed Hennepin County for work not actually performed, and for work for which Champion and Hamilton were being paid by their clients, when the contracts required that Futuristic Management’s work be provided at no cost.
In total, Champion and Hamilton’s fraud resulted in losses of more than $1 million in COVID-19 pandemic aid and involved more than 100 fraudulent invoices and grant and loan applications.
Champion and Hamilton were charged with three counts of mail fraud, three counts of wire fraud, one count of theft of government money, and one count of engaging in a monetary transaction in property derived from specified unlawful activity. Champion was also charged with one count of possessing a firearm as a felon.
Law enforcement executed a search warrant at Champion’s residence in Andover, where they found $126,000 in U.S. currency in a locked safe, and a Ruger LCR .357 revolver. Because Champion has a prior felony conviction, he is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition at any time.
The case is the result of an investigation conducted by IRS-Criminal Investigations, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, and the Minneapolis Police Department’s Special Crimes Investigations Division.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew D. Forbes and Joshua D. Mueller are prosecuting the case.
Champion and Hamilton’s initial appearances were earlier today in U.S. District Court before Magistrate Judge Tony N. Leung.
This is a developing story. Stay tuned for updates.
Key Facts
- State: Minnesota
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: Official Source ↗
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