A Shelby Township man who treated a pandemic relief program like a personal windfall is heading to federal prison after admitting he helped siphon off nearly $2.5 million in Paycheck Protection Program funds.
Samer Kammo, 46, was sentenced yesterday to three years in federal prison and ordered to repay $2,493,348.50 after pleading guilty to a pandemic-era fraud scheme involving bogus PPP applications. U.S. District Judge Jonathan J.C. Grey handed down a 36-month term and imposed restitution that prosecutors say tracks the amount pulled in through the sham loan requests.
Federal prosecutors say Kammo and several family members cooked the books, inflating payroll numbers and submitting fabricated payroll, health insurance, bank, and tax records to secure almost $2.5 million in PPP loans, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Michigan. FBI Detroit Special Agent in Charge Jennifer Runyan said the defendants "tried to cheat the system by exploiting a federal relief program meant to help Americans in need." Homeland Security Investigations officials added that agents remain locked in on PPP fraud cases.
Kammo pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit wire fraud and bank fraud. His co-defendant Rita Shaba was sentenced in January to 27 months in prison, while Kammo’s wife, Christina Anasi, is still awaiting sentencing, as reported by CBS Detroit. Authorities say the group ultimately received nearly $2.5 million in fraudulent PPP funds. The investigation was led by the FBI and Homeland Security Investigations with help from Michigan labor agencies.
How investigators say the scheme worked
According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, court records show the group certified payroll and employee counts that simply did not exist, then funneled the loan proceeds for personal use. To make the paperwork look legitimate, investigators say they misused identifying information from several family members, including Kammo’s mother.
The Department of Justice also noted that Kammo has a prior federal conviction tied to drug dealing at his parents' liquor store, a history that did not help his case as prosecutors pushed for accountability on the pandemic fraud.
Sentence, restitution and what it means
By ordering Kammo to repay $2,493,348.50, prosecutors say the court is targeting the full amount drawn from the PPP through the false applications. The multi-year prison term and hefty restitution are a clear signal that, even though the PPP program has ended, federal authorities are still chasing down those who tried to raid it.
For taxpayers and small businesses that legitimately depended on PPP to keep the lights on, these prosecutions are part of a long tail of enforcement aimed at clawing back public money that never should have gone out the door.
"Although the pandemic is years behind us, HSI and our partners are committed to holding fraudsters accountable for PPP fraud," HSI Detroit acting Special Agent in Charge Jared Murphey said, as reported by CBS Detroit. Kammo’s wife still faces sentencing, and related forfeiture and restitution issues remain pending.
