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ProfilePerson

Abdul Fatani

Defendant

PPP
Type
Person
Role
Defendant
Programs
PPP
Updated

The profile

A 57-year-old Richmond, Texas man convicted at trial for a scheme that sought over $35 million through more than 80 fraudulent PPP loans — sentenced to 36 months, later affirmed on appeal.

Identity and role

Abdul Fatani, 57, of Richmond, Texas, was prosecuted in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas (No. 4:20-CR-583-11) for a PPP fraud conspiracy involving his company, Route 786 USA Inc., which had no employees or payroll.

Biography / career arc

We found no record of a business career beyond Route 786 USA Inc., the company used in the scheme.

The scheme and pandemic-relief role

According to the Department of Justice, Fatani conspired with others to submit fraudulent PPP loan applications by falsifying employee counts and average monthly payroll expenses. In total, the co-conspirators sought over $35 million through more than 80 fraudulent PPP loans; Fatani personally distributed over $500,000 in fraudulent loan proceeds to himself and co-conspirators using bogus payroll checks, and laundered a portion by transferring funds between his own bank accounts. Fifteen other individuals pleaded guilty to involvement in the same loan fraud scheme.

  • Convicted: February 8, 2023, by federal jury of one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, one count of wire fraud, and one count of unlawful monetary transactions (money laundering).
  • Sentenced: 36 months in federal prison, 3 years of supervised release, and $511,250 in restitution. The presentence report put the guideline range at 41 to 51 months. The court granted his request for the then-pending zero-point-offender reduction, which lowered the range to 33 to 41 months, and treated the change as a downward variance; the Fifth Circuit called the result a below-guidelines sentence.
  • Appeal: The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit affirmed the conviction on January 15, 2025 (No. 23-20491), remanding only to correct a clerical error in the judgment.

Where they are now (2025–2026)

Not publicly documented beyond the appellate record.

  • Amir Aqeel — lead defendant in United States v. Aqeel (S.D. Tex. No. 4:20-cr-00583), the prosecution in which Fatani was tried.
  • Hamza Abbas — named with Fatani in the superseding indictment in the same case.

Sources

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