A former Utah State University student leader has been handed a two-year prison sentence for swindling nearly $400,000 from federal and state pandemic relief funds. Mubarak Sulaiman Ukashat, once at the helm of the university's Muslim Student Club, was also ordered to pay the hefty sum back in restitution and will face three years of supervised release post-incarceration. The U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Utah confirmed these details in a recent release.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Ukashat gamed the system by submitting fraudulent Economic Injury Disaster Loan applications using identities of individuals he had no connection with, funneling the cash into his student club's account. Acting upon information provided by the IRS-Criminal Investigation unit, prosecutors later uncovered that roughly $333,900 had been wire transferred into his custody. While originally intended for economic relief, Ukashat splurged on personal luxuries, which included a new GMC Yukon and electronics worth over $27,000.
The fraud didn't stop at federal loan deception. Ukashat was caught pocketing an additional $58,927 in Utah state unemployment benefits, for which he decidedly did not qualify. Once the money hit his bank account, sizable chunks were sent overseas to countries ranging from Nigeria to Dubai, with over $100,000 making its way across the globe.
Digging deeper into Ukashat's expenditures, investigators found a list of questionable purchases. Bought with the illicit funds were lavish items such as a $45,900 vehicle, paying off a $21,000 car loan, while chipping away at a $20,000 debt, not to mention placing $10,000 in earnest money on a potential home purchase. Adding insult to economic injury, $5,200 was also funneled towards college expenses, none of which were related to the disaster relief efforts they were initially allocated for.
