Judge William F. Kuntz II Imposes 18-Month Sentence on Jeremy Trapp
On [no date provided], in federal court in Brooklyn, Jeremy Trapp was sentenced by United States District Judge William F. Kuntz II to 18 months in prison for cutting a brake line of a New York City Police Department (NYPD) van and 18 months in prison for committing wire fraud in connection with the COVID-19 pandemic-related Economic Injury Disaster Loan program.
The sentences will run concurrently. As part of the sentence, the Court ordered Trapp to pay $9,722.88 in restitution to the United States Small Business Administration.
Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Michael J. Driscoll, Assistant Director-in-Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI), and Keechant L. Sewell, Commissioner, NYPD, announced the sentences.
Jeremy Trapp, 26, of Brooklyn, New York, was charged with one count of sabotage of a motor vehicle and one count of wire fraud.
According to the indictment, on July 17, 2020, Trapp crawled under a marked NYPD van parked near Fourth Avenue and 42nd Street in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, and partially severed a line that is part of the NYPD van’s anti-lock braking system, which is similar in appearance to, and in the same location as, the NYPD vehicle’s main brake line.
Additionally, in June 2020, Trapp submitted a fraudulent Economic Injury Disaster Loan program (EIDL) loan and grant application, claiming to be the sole proprietor of a car wash business located at his home address in Brooklyn, a multi-unit residential building. Trapp further represented that he employed ten individuals and that his gross revenue for the 12 months prior to the COVID-19 pandemic was $150,000.
The Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act expanded EIDL to provide economic support to help offset the temporary loss of revenue experienced by businesses due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Based on Trapp’s false representations, the Small Business Administration approved a $42,500 loan and $10,000 grant to Trapp, and these funds were deposited into Trapp’s bank account.
The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s National Security and Cybercrime Section. Assistant United States Attorneys Francisco J. Navarro and Sara K. Winik are in charge of the prosecution.
Key Facts
- State: New York
- Category: Violent Crime|Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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