A Plymouth, Massachusetts man, Ferris Brooks, admitted to his role in a scheme to defraud COVID-19 relief funds, according to federal prosecutors. The 41-year-old entered a guilty plea for theft of government property on Wednesday.
U.S. Senior District Court Judge William G. Young has set the sentencing for May 21, 2024, after Brooks was initially charged in October last year. Brooks's fraudulent activities spanned from April to December 2020, where he submitted false benefit applications in his own name, and on behalf of friends and family. He managed to defraud over $150,000 from various pandemic relief programs, the U.S. Attorney's Office reported.
Brooks applied for an Economic Injury Disaster Loan through the U.S. Small Business Administration for a non-existent business. Moreover, he filed for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance and submitted tax returns for Economic Impact Payments with false employment information for several individuals. The payments from these fraudulent claims were funneled into bank accounts he opened, and portions of the ill-gotten gains were shared with the accomplices involved.
The charge against Brooks carries a maximum sentence of up to 10 years in prison, and the possibility of a fine reaching $250,000, alongside up to three years of supervised release. Sentencing will be based on the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and relevant statutes, which inform a federal district court judge's determination of the penalties in such criminal cases. Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy and officials from various federal agencies, including the Department of Labor, IRS Criminal Investigation, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service announced the plea.
In the wake of widespread fraud targeting COVID-19 financial aid programs, the Department of Justice established a COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force in May 2021. The task force aims to intensify efforts to identify and prosecute the perpetrators of pandemic-related fraud across the United States and beyond. This multi-agency collaboration also works to prevent fraud in relief programs, enhancing existing mechanisms to sniff out criminal activity. The public is encouraged to report any attempts of fraud related to COVID-19 to the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud.
