A West Bloomfield man is facing federal charges after prosecutors say he tried to score more than $5 million in pandemic relief by filing bogus loan applications for Paycheck Protection Program funds meant to keep small businesses afloat. Federal agents say the paperwork claimed inflated payroll costs and employee counts. The suspect, 40-year-old Randon “Romero” Williams, was arrested Thursday in West Bloomfield and now faces federal wire fraud and money laundering charges.
According to The Oakland Press, a federal complaint says Williams applied for more than $5,000,000 in loans, listing monthly payroll expenses of more than $500,000 and reporting that his businesses employed between 21 and 75 people. Prosecutors allege the scheme ran from April 2020 through March 2021 and that the applications were submitted to lenders and the U.S. Small Business Administration. For now, those details sit in a complaint, not a conviction, as investigators keep pulling financial records and tracing transfers.
In a news release quoted by The Oakland Press, U.S. Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon Jr. said, “We will zealously prosecute any thief who steals from the hardworking American taxpayer.” An investigator cited in the same release, Karen Wingerd, added a blunt warning: “If you think that’s the case, you are dead wrong, and you will be held accountable for stealing from every hard-working taxpayer.” Williams has not entered a plea and is presumed innocent pending further court proceedings.
Federal crackdown and local prosecutions
The arrest lands as the Department of Justice publicly ramps up its focus on fraud. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche announced the creation of a National Fraud Enforcement Division on Tuesday, with the Department of Justice describing the new unit as a way to coordinate fraud investigations across federal programs.
Locally, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Detroit has been busy with PPP cases this year, including a February press release detailing a Shelby Township defendant who was sentenced after prosecutors said he and co-conspirators took nearly $2.5 million in PPP funds. The U.S. Attorney's Office said those matters relied on bank and tax records to trace alleged illicit transfers and pursue forfeiture of fraud proceeds.
What’s next
Williams is expected to appear in federal court for initial proceedings, where prosecutors will present the complaint and decide whether to seek an indictment from a grand jury. The charges remain allegations, and he is presumed innocent until proven guilty. The investigation is still active, and federal officials say more details will be released as additional cases are brought and hearings are scheduled.
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