WHEELING, WEST VIRGINIA – A brazen scheme to defraud the federal government has landed a Wheeling man in even deeper trouble. Anton Matthews, 39, is facing wire fraud charges for allegedly claiming lost earnings from a non-existent food truck business while serving time in federal prison. The audacity didn’t stop there – on the very same day, he was also indicted for drug trafficking.
According to court documents, Matthews secured nearly $50,000 in CARES Act loans by falsely stating he’d earned $103,000 in gross income in 2020 operating a food truck he supposedly launched in January 2019. The problem? Matthews was already a guest of the federal government, locked up from November 2016 until October 2020, and then under home confinement until March 2021. He was essentially applying for relief funds for a business he couldn’t possibly have been running.
“We will continue to aggressively pursue criminals who stole relief money that was meant to help Americans,” declared United States Attorney William Ihlenfeld. “Mr. Matthews’ conduct was particularly brazen, but he will be held to account thanks to the excellent work of the FBI.” The feds aren’t kidding around; this wasn’t a simple paperwork error. This was calculated theft from a system designed to help those genuinely struggling during the pandemic.
But the COVID fraud isn’t the full extent of Matthews’ alleged criminal activity. Investigators simultaneously indicted him on four counts of cocaine distribution. The charges allege Matthews conspired with others to push the drug both inside and outside of the Third Alarm Bar on Wheeling Island in Ohio County last fall. It appears Matthews was attempting to build a criminal enterprise even *while* incarcerated, orchestrating drug deals from behind bars.
The investigation into the drug trafficking operation was a joint effort by the Ohio Valley Drug Task Force, comprising officers from the Wheeling Police Department, the Ohio County Sheriff’s Office, the West Virginia State Police, and the Drug Enforcement Administration. The COVID fraud investigation was handled by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The combined weight of these charges suggests a pattern of disregard for the law.
Anton Matthews is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jennie Conklin and Shawn Adkins are prosecuting the case. But with a combined potential sentence looming, Matthews faces a long stretch back behind bars – this time, for more than just a temporary stay. The Grimy Times will continue to follow this case as it develops.
Related Federal Cases
- Wheeling Man Gets 13 Years for COVID Fraud, Cocaine Trafficking · West Virginia
- Ohio Drug Ring Busted: Six Fugitives Sought in Wheeling Operation · West Virginia
- Jailed Man Cooks Up $50K COVID Fraud While Behind Bars · West Virginia
- Wheeling Drug Dealer Chad Askew Pleads Guilty · West Virginia
- Wheeling Drug Kingpin Admits to Ohio Valley Operation · Texas
Key Facts
- State: West Virginia
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Fraud & Financial Crimes|Violent Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
🔒 Get the grimiest stories delivered weekly. Subscribe free →
Browse More
