Wheeling Trucker Fleeced COVID Funds

⏱ 2 min read

Bradley Temple, 48, a former Wheeling businessman now squatting in Florida, just copped to a brazen scheme: ripping off $277,000 in COVID-19 relief money. The ex-owner of Righteous Brother’s Trucking pled guilty in federal court this week to unlawful money transactions. The feds say Temple lied to get the cash, then treated the pandemic funds like a personal slush fund.

Temple double-dipped, snagging both a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan and an Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL). Both programs were designed to keep legitimate businesses afloat during the pandemic’s economic fallout. Instead, Temple allegedly used the money to line his own pockets – including a $40,000 splurge on a new vehicle, according to court documents.

Now, Temple is staring down the barrel of up to ten years in federal prison. A judge will hand down the sentence, factoring in federal sentencing guidelines. Restitution is also ordered; Temple will be forced to pay back every single penny he stole.

The bust was the result of a joint investigation by IRS Criminal Investigations and the NASA Office of Inspector General, part of a massive federal task force dedicated to untangling the web of pandemic fraud. They’re sifting through over $5 trillion in pandemic spending, hunting down every grifter and scammer who tried to profit from the crisis.