Wilson Pershing Stevenson III, Stealing COVID-19 Relief Funding, Washington 2022

In a brazen scheme to obtain COVID-19 relief funding, BNL Technical Services, LLC, a subcontractor of the Hanford Site in Richland, Washington, was sentenced for their fraudulent actions. The company’s owner, Wilson Pershing Stevenson III, of Nashville, Tennessee, paid $1,105,498 as part of an affirmative civil fraud settlement to resolve his individual liability arising from the company’s receipt of COVID relief funding.

According to court documents and information presented at the sentencing hearing, BNL Technical Services, LLC provided contract labor services to Hanford Site prime contractors between 2020 and 2021. However, despite their pay and benefits already being covered by DOE contract funds and other federal sources, including the VA, the company fraudulently sought and obtained a $493,865 loan as part of the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) in April 2020.

The company then transferred and used more than $424,230 of the PPP proceeds on unauthorized expenditures. In August 2021, BNL Technical Services, LLC requested and was granted forgiveness of the $493,865 PPP loan, but falsely and fraudulently certified that the loan proceeds had been used for eligible uses and business expenses between April and October of 2020.

The court ordered BNL Technical Services, LLC to pay restitution in the amount of $493,865 and sentenced the company to one year of probation to ensure that the restitution is paid promptly and in full. The company’s owner, Wilson Pershing Stevenson III, paid $1,105,498 as part of the civil fraud settlement.

Acting U.S. Attorney Richard Barker commended his team of prosecutors for building the COVID-19 Strike Force and holding accountable those who defrauded the United States. The misuse of critical emergency funds intended for those personally affected by the COVID-19 pandemic defrauds taxpayers and deprives legitimate recipients of important assistance at a time it was needed most.

The sentencing of BNL Technical Services, LLC sends a strong message that the misuse of COVID-19 relief funds will not be tolerated. The company’s actions were a blatant and fraudulent misuse of federal funds, and the consequences will be severe. The case serves as a reminder of the importance of accountability and transparency in the use of public funds.

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