NEW HAVEN, CT – Antrum Coston, 41, of New Haven, is headed back to federal prison after receiving a 37-month sentence yesterday for a trifecta of crimes: defrauding the Paycheck Protection Program, laundering the ill-gotten gains, and peddling heroin, cocaine, and crack on the streets. U.S. District Judge Stefan R. Underhill in Bridgeport handed down the sentence, followed by three years of supervised release.
Coston exploited the CARES Act, designed to keep businesses afloat during the COVID-19 pandemic, by submitting fraudulent applications for two PPP loans totaling $41,666. He claimed his cleaning business, a phantom operation, had been established in 2018 and generated over $114,000 in revenue in 2019 – a brazen lie, considering Coston was already in prison for the entirety of 2019. He then attempted to falsely claim the funds were used for payroll when, in reality, they were funneled into his criminal enterprise.
The feds weren’t just tracking the money. On December 31, 2021, West Haven police attempted a traffic stop of Coston, who promptly floored it, nearly striking an officer in the process. After a short chase, Coston ditched the vehicle and was found hiding nearby. A search of both the car and his person turned up distribution quantities of heroin/fentanyl, cocaine, and crack cocaine, along with over $2,000 in cash. A subsequent raid of his residence yielded a ballistic vest, another $2,790 in cash, and more narcotics paraphernalia.
Coston pleaded guilty in December 2022 to one count each of wire fraud, money laundering, and possession with intent to distribute controlled substances. This isn’t his first rodeo with the federal system. In 2004, he received 37 months for possessing a firearm as a felon. He tacked on another 18 months in 2007 for violating his supervised release. Most recently, he served 40 months for gun and drug offenses, being released in April 2020 and placed back on supervised release – which he promptly violated with this latest scheme.
The investigation was a joint effort by the IRS – Criminal Investigation Division, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and the West Haven Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer R. Laraia prosecuted the case. Coston is currently released on bond and is scheduled to report to prison on November 29.
Authorities are urging anyone with information about COVID-19 related fraud to contact the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline at 866-720-5721 or submit a complaint online at https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
Related Federal Cases
- Eduardo Rodriguez-Ayala, Passport Fraud, Waterloo IA, 2013 · Connecticut
- Willie C. Grant, ID Theft and Tax Refund Fraud, Macon GA, 2008 · Connecticut
- Steven A. Murray, Pesticide Fraud, Washington GA, 2023 · Connecticut
- James Dunham, Mail and Wire Fraud, Boston MA, 2023 · Connecticut
- David Rivera, Election Fraud, Nashville TN, 2016 · Missouri
Key Facts
- Agency: ATF
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes|Drug Trafficking|Violent Crime
- Source: Official Press Release
Get the grimiest stories delivered weekly. Subscribe free
Browse More
MORE FEDERAL CRIME NEWS
US NewsUS NewsUS NewsUS News