Related Federal Cases
- Rockport Swindler Mark Haley Pleads Guilty to PPP Loan Fraud, Faces Up to 30 Years · Maine
- Election Fraud Crackdown: Feds Deploy Legal Team for Nov. 8 · District of Columbia
- David B. Watson Sr. Pleads Guilty to VA Benefits Fraud · Maine
- Gorham Therapist Paulo Braga Pleads Guilty to MaineCare Fraud · Maine
- Jamila Williams-Stevenson Pleads Guilty to Bank Fraud, ID Theft · Rhode Island
Defendant Name, Crime, Location, Year
Jacob Hennie, a resident of Orono, Maine, has agreed to pay $228,338.30 to settle allegations of fraudulently obtaining pandemic relief funds.
According to a complaint filed by the United States in the United States District Court for the District of Maine on April 14, 2023, Hennie misrepresented that he operated a business with nine employees to receive a $9,000 EIDL Emergency Advance in July 2020. However, he did not operate any business at the time.
In February 2021, Hennie obtained a first-draw PPP loan in the amount of $18,625 based on allegedly false representations in the loan applications. He then obtained a second-draw PPP loan in the amount of $20,833 based on allegedly false representations related to fictitious business expenses.
Hennie received forgiveness for both PPP loans through allegedly misrepresenting how the loan funds were used.
The United States filed a complaint against Hennie pursuant to the False Claims Act (FCA) and the Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery and Enforcement Act (FIRREA). The FCA provides that any person who “knowingly presents, or causes to be presented, a false or fraudulent claim for payment or approval” or “knowingly makes, uses, or causes to be made or used, a false record or statement material to a false or fraudulent claim” is liable to the United States for three times the amount of damages which the United States sustains, plus a civil penalty for each FCA violation.
FIRREA provides that the Attorney General may recover civil penalties against persons who knowingly make a false statement for the purpose of influencing a decision by the Administrator of the SBA or to obtain a loan, money, or anything of value under certain SBA programs, including the PPP.
The complaint filed by the United States is a result of the District of Maine’s ongoing efforts to identify and investigate fraudulently obtained pandemic relief funds. Recent amendments to federal law have extended the statute of limitations for civil and criminal fraud enforcement actions concerning PPP and EIDL loans from six to ten years.
The civil action is docketed United States v. Jacob Hennie, 23-cv-00171-JAW (D. Me.).
Key Facts
- State: Maine
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
ðŸâ€Â’ Get the grimiest stories delivered weekly. Subscribe free →
