Wheeling CEO Nabbed in $300K COVID Scam

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Bradley Temple, 48, the former CEO of a Wheeling, Alabama business, copped a plea this week to a felony charge for ripping off nearly $300,000 in COVID-19 relief funds. The feds say Temple wasn’t using the cash to keep his business afloat, but lining his own pockets. The scheme unfolded sometime during the pandemic, preying on programs designed to help struggling businesses.

Temple, now a resident of Delray Beach, Florida, but formerly of Wheeling, admitted to unlawful money transactions related to the fraudulent scheme. U.S. Attorney Matthew L. Harvey for the Southern District of Alabama has been leading the prosecution. While the details of how Temple diverted the funds remain murky, the plea confirms he knowingly abused the system.

The Alabama U.S. Attorney’s office has been swamped with similar cases—opportunists exploiting the pandemic for personal gain. But this one landed Temple in court, and now, potentially, in a federal cell. His sentencing is scheduled for later this year, where a judge will decide his fate. Expect a substantial prison term given the scale of the theft.

Temple’s fall from Wheeling businessman to convicted felon serves as a grim reminder: desperation doesn’t excuse greed. Grimy Times will continue to follow this case as it moves towards sentencing and provide updates on the outcome. It’s yet another example of how the pandemic unleashed a wave of financial predation across the country.