ST. GEORGE, Utah – A St. George businessman with a penchant for lying has been sentenced to 29 months behind bars for running a massive COVID-relief scam that netted him over $685,000 in government funds.
Bradford Leland Fishback, 40, of St. George, was ordered by U.S. District Court Chief Judge Robert J. Shelby to fork over $685,845.05 in restitution, on top of his prison sentence, which was handed down today.
Fishback, a CPA by trade, admitted to defrauding the government by submitting fake claims for Employee Retention Tax Credits, Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans, and Economic Injury Disaster (EID) loans. His scheme, which ran from 2020 to 2022, netted him a whopping $903,882.88 in claims, but he only managed to snag $685,845.05 in actual funds.
The 40-year-old’s scheme was uncovered by the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) and the FBI Salt Lake City Field Office, who jointly investigated the case.
Fishback’s fake applications for Employee Retention Tax Credits, filed on behalf of his four businesses – Circle CPA; Fishback Tax; Snowflake Shavery; and World Horizons Outreach – resulted in him receiving $482,058.46 from the IRS. He also submitted at least seven fake PPP loan applications, raking in $77,629, and at least five EID loan applications, netting him $137,573.
But that’s not all – Fishback also managed to scam the Nevada Department of Employment, Training, and Rehabilitation out of $45,831 in unemployment benefits by submitting fake applications.
Fishback pleaded guilty to wire fraud, money laundering, and false claims in September 2023. He was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Stephen Dent and Jennifer K. Muyskens of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah.
As Fishback begins his 29-month prison sentence, one thing is clear: those who try to scam the system will be caught and punished. The question now is how many other COVID-relief scams are still out there, waiting to be uncovered.
The case serves as a reminder that those who attempt to defraud the government will face the full force of the law. Fishback’s sentence is a testament to the dedication of law enforcement agencies and the U.S. Attorney’s Office in rooting out COVID-relief scams and bringing perpetrators to justice.
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Key Facts
- State: Utah
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: Official Source ↗
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