Alexander Alli, COVID Relief Fraud, Florida 2023

A Riverview man has been found guilty of committing a brazen COVID-19 relief scam, netting him $82,500 in ill-gotten gains.

A federal jury in Tampa convicted Alexander Alli, 39, of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and two counts of wire fraud on unspecified dates. The charges carry a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison on each count.

Alli's sentencing hearing is scheduled for June 10, 2024.

According to testimony presented at trial, Alli submitted a fraudulent Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) application to the Small Business Administration (SBA) in January 2023. He falsely represented that he had a business suffering injury due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and that the EIDL funds would be used only for business-related purposes.

However, Alli's business had ceased operations prior to the start of the pandemic and was no longer operational at the time his EIDL application was submitted. As a result, Alli used the $82,500 in EIDL funds for non-business-related purposes.

The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Jennifer Peresie and Merrilyn Hoenemeyer.

If you have any information regarding alleged COVID-19 relief scams, you can report it by calling the National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via their website.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-mdfl/pr/jury-convicts-riverview-man-covid-relief-fraud