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Clovis Businessman Sentenced for $1.4M COVID-19 Relief Heist
Ruben Mireles, 48, of Clovis, Sentenced to 1 Year in Prison
FRESNO, Calif. — Ruben Mireles, 48, of Clovis, was sentenced today to one year in prison for stealing $1.4 million in COVID-19 relief money, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
Mireles, owner and operator of a farm labor contracting business in Kings County, stole the money by applying for and receiving two separate COVID-19 Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans from the Small Business Administration (SBA).
According to court documents, Mireles initially applied for a PPP loan for $1.4 million from the SBA in January 2021, after changing the name of his business from Vista Pacific Labor Solutions Inc. (VPLS) to Calzona Ag Management Inc., doing business as Vista Pacific Farm Management (CAM).
In April 2021, Mireles applied for and received another PPP loan for $1.4 million from the SBA, based on false information. Mireles falsely represented to the SBA that VPLS was a separate company from CAM when, in fact, VPLS and CAM were the same company.
Mireles also falsely represented that he had not received any other PPP loans, even though he had previously received CAM’s loan. Finally, Mireles falsely represented that he was not subject to any pending criminal charges when he was actually facing state fraud charges.
The case was the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the SBA Office of Inspector General, with assistance from the California Department of Insurance. Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Barton prosecuted the case.
This effort is part of a California COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Strike Force operation, one of five interagency COVID-19 fraud strike force teams established by the U.S. Department of Justice. The California Strike Force combines law enforcement and prosecutorial resources in the Eastern and Central Districts of California and focuses on large-scale, multistate pandemic relief fraud perpetrated by criminal organizations and transnational actors.
The strike forces use prosecutor-led and data analyst-driven teams to identify and bring to justice those who stole pandemic relief funds, including Mireles, who will serve his one-year sentence for his role in the COVID-19 relief money theft scheme.
Key Facts
- State: California
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: Official Source ↗
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