GRIMY TIMES EXCLUSIVE
A federal jury in Georgia has found 41-year-old Bernard Okojie, of McDonough, guilty of leading a conspiracy to fraudulently obtain over $1 million in federal COVID-19 pandemic relief funding.
The guilty verdict subjects Okojie to up to 30 years in prison, $1 million in financial penalties, and up to five years of supervised release after completion of any prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
“Before the ink was dry on legislation creating the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act, Bernard Okojie was scheming to steal these vital small business safety net funds,” said U.S. Attorney Jill E. Steinberg. “The guilty verdict slams the door on this fraud, and signals to others stealing from pandemic relief funds that they, too, will be held accountable.”
As described in trial and in court documents, Okojie used information for non-existent companies to file at least 24 fraudulent applications for Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) and Paycheck Protection Program loans for himself and others from April 2020 through May of 2021, seeking millions of dollars in COVID-19 relief funds for himself and others.
Funds from the more than $1.4 million Okojie and others received through the schemes were used to purchase a home, vehicles, shopping trips to Versace, for personal investments, and a toy poodle. Okojie also was intercepted as he attempted to carry nearly $40,000 in undeclared cash on a plane from Atlanta to Nigeria.
Sentencing before U.S. District Court Judge Lisa Godbey Wood will be scheduled upon completion of a pre-sentence investigation by U.S. Probation Services.
The case was investigated by the FBI and the Small Business Administration Office of Inspector General, and prosecuted for the United States by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew A. Josephson and Jennifer A. Stanley.
Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
Related Federal Cases
- Daniqua Clark, Mail Stream Theft and COVID-19 Relief Fraud, Atlanta… · Alabama
- Angela Miller and Lee Lynwood, Tax Return Fraud, Georgia, 2008 · Alabama
- Four Individuals Face Federal Oxycodone Fraud Charges, Georgia, 2023 · Alabama
- Eijroghene Okuma, $10M Investment Fraud, Atlanta GA, 2023 · Maryland
- Sark Wire Corporation, PPP Fraud, Albany NY, 2023 · Pennsylvania
Key Facts
- State: Georgia
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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