Tampa, FL – The Middle District of Florida United States Attorney’s Office has been cracking down on COVID-19 fraud, and one recent case highlights the severity of the issue. Keith Ingersoll, a 46-year-old man from Orlando, was sentenced to 9 years and 1 month in federal prison for a variety of fraud schemes, including a real estate scam and a fraudulent Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) application.
Ingersoll was sentenced on February 2023, and as part of his sentence, he was ordered to forfeit his ill-gotten gains. According to the US Attorney’s Office, the government had recovered over $16.8 million in EIDL, Unemployment Insurance, and Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) funds that were fraudulently obtained.
The Middle District of Florida COVID-19 Fraud Task Force was formed in March 2020 to identify, investigate, and prosecute fraud related to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Since its inception, the Task Force has prosecuted 57 defendants for fraud schemes designed to exploit federal programs, including the PPP, EIDL, Unemployment Insurance, the Main Street Lending Program, and the Emergency Rental Assistance Program.
Collectively, these defendants sought to defraud the United States of over $65 million. 43 of those defendants have already been found guilty, while prosecution remains pending against 14 defendants.
One of the notable cases is that of Daniel Joseph Tisone, a 35-year-old man from Naples, who was sentenced to 7 years and 3 months in federal prison for a variety of COVID-19 fraud offenses. Tisone, a convicted felon, submitted false and fraudulent EIDL, MSLP, and PPP loan applications containing false representations, including about his criminal history, average monthly payroll, number of employees, and gross revenues.
The US Attorney’s Office has also announced a $325,000 settlement with Florida companies Kingwood Orlando Reunion Resort LLC and Kingwood Crystal River Resort Corp. regarding allegations that they violated the False Claims Act and the Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery and Enforcement Act by knowingly providing false information in support of a PPP loan forgiveness application submitted by Crystal River.
The U.S. Attorney General has established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the federal government in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud.
Related Federal Cases
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Key Facts
- State: Florida
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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