Federal prosecutors say a Lithia Springs man turned pandemic relief paperwork into a personal payday, and now he is headed to prison. Brian Graham, 49, received a 37-month federal sentence, must repay $441,546.87 in restitution and forfeit assets, and will serve three years of supervised release. Court filings say Graham submitted inflated Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) applications between April 2020 and August 2021 and used much of the money for his own benefit.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado said in a May 26 press release that Graham pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud after preparing and submitting fraudulent PPP and EIDL applications on behalf of several business entities he controlled. Prosecutors said he materially misrepresented employee counts, gross revenues, payroll figures and cost of goods sold, all while certifying that the cash would go toward payroll and other allowed business expenses. “A fraud on the federal government is a fraud on the American taxpayer,” United States Attorney Peter McNeilly said in the release.
WSB‑TV reports Graham is from Lithia Springs and that Senior U.S. District Judge John L. Kane presided over the sentencing. The station’s coverage and court records say Graham submitted the loan applications between April 2020 and August 2021 and used most of the money for personal benefit, not the businesses on the forms.
How Prosecutors Say The Scheme Worked
As detailed by the SBA Office of Inspector General, Graham prepared and filed the fraudulent EIDL and PPP applications for several entities he controlled, inflating payroll, employee headcounts and revenue to unlock more federal money. The investigation that led to the federal charges and guilty plea was handled by the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration and the SBA Office of Inspector General.
Sentence, Restitution And Case Details
Graham was sentenced to 37 months in prison, ordered to pay $441,546.87 in restitution and forfeiture, and will serve three years of supervised release, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said. The case is listed as 1:25-cr-00079-JLK in federal court, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicole Cassidy handled the prosecution under Senior U.S. District Judge John L. Kane.
The sentence is the latest in a string of pandemic-era fraud prosecutions with local ties; nearly 15 years was handed down in January to a Marietta man in a $13 million scheme. Federal partners say investigations into abuse of emergency programs remain a priority as prosecutors continue to pursue cases tied to PPP, EIDL and other pandemic relief funds.
