ST. LOUIS – Mark Ethan Jermain, 41, from the Slovak Republic, has entered a guilty plea in U.S. District Court for his role in a $730,000 Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan fraud.
Jermain, who used the alias Arsene Millogo, is accused of submitting three fraudulent PPP loan applications between April 26, 2020, and July 16, 2021. The money was intended for payroll and business expenses during the COVID-19 pandemic but was funneled into a Slovakian bank account.
The first fraud involved Crazyeats LLC, a company established in Missouri by Jermain in 2017. He falsely inflated the average monthly payroll on an $80,000 loan application. The second fraudulent application was for Unimentors LLC, seeking $325,275. Jermain also successfully applied for another $325,275 Second Draw PPP loan.
Jermain claimed forgiveness of the loans by deceitfully stating that all funds were used for payroll purposes when they were actually spent on personal purchases. He was arrested upon returning to the U.S. in August 2023 and faces up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
The FBI investigated this case, with Assistant U.S. Attorney Gwen Carroll handling the prosecution. Those with information about pandemic fraud are encouraged to contact the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) at 866-720-5721 or via their Web Complaint Form at https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
RELATED: Slovakian Millogo Pleads Guilty to $730K Pandemic Loan Fraud
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Key Facts
- State: Missouri
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: Official Source ↗
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