An Aurora man faces multiple federal charges for allegedly defrauding a Colorado surveying company and swindling millions from COVID-19 relief programs. Mathew Barr, 50, was indicted on six counts of wire fraud and two counts of money laundering, the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado announced Wednesday.
From mid-2019 to late 2022, Barr is accused of conniving to extract over $843,452 from SurvWest, LLC, where he was the majority shareholder. The funds were allegedly used to lavishly furnish his lifestyle with luxury vehicles, including an Aston Martin convertible and a Mercedes Benz G63. Alongside his dealings at SurvWest, Barr is also indicted for scheming to fraudulently secure over $2.3 million in emergency relief funds during the thick of the pandemic, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
The indictment represents a presumption of innocence for Barr until proven guilty. These developments follow his initial court appearance on January 7, in front of U.S. Magistrate Judge Kathryn A. Starnella. The serious allegations of financial manipulation during a time of national crisis led to an aggressive response by authorities, with the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation’s Denver Field Office spearheading the probe into Barr’s activities. Assistant United States Attorneys Taylor Glogiewicz and Craig Fansler are handling the prosecution.
Last summer, the Attorney General directed the District of Colorado’s U.S. Attorney’s Office to lead one of five national COVID-19 Fraud Strike Force Teams. This effort was part of a broader initiative by the Justice Department to pinpoint and prosecute pandemic-related fraud. The Strike Force operates as a nexus of law enforcement and analytic expertise, designed to quickly and effectively respond to large-scale fraud cases. They are not only targeting organizations but also individuals who attempted to defraud relief efforts multiple times.
