Heath Gauthier, CARES Act Loan Fraud, New Hampshire 2021
A brazen attempt to swindle millions of dollars in COVID-19 relief funds has landed a Rochester man behind bars. Heath Gauthier, 46, was indicted by a federal grand jury on Wednesday and charged with multiple counts of wire fraud, attempted wire fraud, and aggravated identity theft, announced United States Attorney Jane E. Young today.
Gauthier was arrested this morning and has been temporally detained pending trial. The indictment alleges that, between February 2020 and March 2021, Gauthier fraudulently applied for more than a dozen loans under the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) programs, totaling over $1 million in CARES Act loan funds.
According to the indictment, Gauthier applied for loans for non-existent companies and used the identities of deceased individuals in his applications, listing them in some applications as owners or employees of the fictitious companies. He also submitted false documents, including fabricated tax documents and counterfeit driver’s licenses, in support of the applications.
The charges in the indictment are only allegations. The defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
The case was investigated by IRS Criminal Investigations, the Federal Bureau of Investigations, and the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew T. Hunter.
Gauthier's brazen scheme was uncovered as part of the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force, established by the Attorney General on May 17, 2021 to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud.
If you have information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19, you 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.
Key Facts
- State: New Hampshire
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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