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MINNEAPOLIS BUSINESS CONSULTANTS CHARGED WITH $1 MILLION PANDEMIC AID SCAM
Two Minneapolis-based business consultants, Tezzaree El-Amin Champion, 27, and Marcus Alexander Hamilton, 27, were indicted for defrauding COVID-19 pandemic aid programs of over $1 million, announced U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger.
Champion, the founder and CEO of Futuristic Management Group LLC, and Hamilton, the chief operating officer, devised and carried out a fraud scheme to obtain funds from various federal, state, local, and private COVID-19 relief programs. They submitted fraudulent applications for PPP loans, pandemic relief, and other funds on behalf of their small business clients and their own entities.
As part of the scheme, Champion and Hamilton billed Hennepin County for work not actually performed, and for work for which they were being paid by their clients, when the contracts required that Futuristic Management’s work be provided at no cost.
The duo also submitted fraudulent PPP and EIDL loan applications and Hennepin County Small Business Relief grant applications on behalf of their clients and their own entities. When clients received the loans and grants, Champion and Hamilton transferred and misappropriated a portion of the funds for themselves.
Champion intimidated clients by showing them a firearm and telling them he always carried a firearm. 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.
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.
This 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 Jennifer M. Hestness will prosecute the case. Champion and Hamilton made their initial appearances earlier today in U.S. District Court before Magistrate Judge Tony N. Leung.
The defendants’ scheme 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. This case serves as a reminder of the importance of holding accountable those who exploit government aid programs for personal gain.
Key Facts
- State: Minnesota
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: Official Source ↗
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