Omaha Man Sentenced for $145,300 COVID-19 Relief Program Scam
A 51-year-old Omaha man has been sentenced for his role in a COVID-19 relief program scam that bilked the government out of over $145,300.
Jackie Harper, 51, of Omaha, Nebraska, was sentenced on May 8, 2024, in federal court in Omaha for making false statements to the Small Business Administration, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
U.S. District Court Judge Brian C. Buescher sentenced Harper to three years’ probation and ordered him to pay $154,247.06 in restitution, nearly all of which has already been paid.
The scam involved Harper and another person submitting applications for Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”) and Economic Injury Disaster Loan (“EIDL”) program loans in 2020 and 2021. Those loan programs were created or expanded by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (“CARES”) Act, which was designed to provide emergency financial assistance to Americans suffering the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The applications misrepresented how much Harper’s business had paid employees in past compensation and how much revenue Harper’s business had received, resulting in applications for significantly inflated loan amounts under the PPP and EIDL programs. The PPP applications were supported by false tax documents.
The scam resulted in Harper receiving loans and grants totaling approximately $145,300.
The Department of Justice established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force in May 2021 to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The task force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud.
Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s 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.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Small Business Administration, Office of Inspector General.
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Key Facts
- State: Nebraska
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: Official Source ↗
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