Philadelphia Man Sentenced to 6 ½ Years in Prison for Stealing Nearly $1 Million

Summary

A press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania dated April 14, 2022. It announces that Devron Brown, formerly of Philadelphia, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Chad F. Kenney to six years and six months in prison, five years of supervised release and $939,350 in restitution in a Paycheck Protection Program scheme. According to the release, Brown pleaded guilty in December 2021 to eleven felony counts, including bank fraud and nine counts of money laundering, over approximately $937,500 in PPP loan proceeds obtained through false representations about Just Us Construction, Inc. It states that the proceeds went to purchases including a residential property in Florida, a motorcycle and diamond jewelry, and that a second application in early 2021 was denied.

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                                     Department of Justice

                                        U.S. Attorney’s Office

                                  Eastern District of Pennsylvania

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                 Thursday, April 14, 2022



    Philadelphia Man Sentenced to 6 ½ Years in Prison for
           Stealing Nearly $1 Million in PPP Funds
PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams announced that Devron
Brown, 50, formerly of Philadelphia, PA, was sentenced to six years and six months in prison, five
years of supervised release, and ordered to pay $939,350 restitution by United States District Court
Judge Chad F. Kenney for his involvement in a scheme to unlawfully obtain and misuse loan
proceeds offered through the federal Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”).

In December 2021, the defendant pleaded guilty to eleven felony counts: two counts of bank fraud
and attempted bank fraud, and nine counts of money laundering in connection with fraudulently
obtaining approximately $937,500 in PPP loan proceeds by making false representations regarding
his alleged construction business, Just Us Construction, Inc. Brown made multiple false
characterizations about the business, including the number of employees, the wages paid to them,
the payroll taxes paid on those wages, and the intended use of the PPP loan proceeds. Brown then
used those PPP loan proceeds for personal and unauthorized purchases, including a new residential
property in Florida, a motorcycle, an all-terrain vehicle, a luxury automobile, and diamond jewelry.
The defendant also caused a second fraudulent PPP loan application to be submitted for
approximately the same amount in early 2021, but that application was denied.

“Paycheck Protection Program funds are intended to help American small-businesses continue
paying their employees, even if revenues have dropped dramatically due to the pandemic,” said U.S.
Attorney Williams. “Thieves who attempt to take these funds are taking advantage of others’
misfortune – ripping them off while also ripping off all taxpayers who fund the program. Here, the
defendant fraudulently obtained nearly $1 million in funds that could have helped struggling
businesses and individuals, and instead spent the money on indulgences for himself.”

“Cars, diamond rings, a house — Devron Brown must’ve thought he hit the jackpot when he got that
PPP money,” said Jacqueline Maguire, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Philadelphia Division.
“We’re talking about a program created to keep businesses and employees afloat amid a pandemic
battering our economy. The FBI simply won’t stand for opportunists thinking they can defraud the
federal government, live large, and get away with it. We will continue to aggressively pursue anyone
foolish enough to do so.”

“Joseph Whitbeck, former Vice President of the National Association of Letter Carriers Branch 274,
betrayed the trust of the members he served by engaging in a kickback scheme involving the
solicitation of cash payments from letter carriers who he assisted in obtaining monetary grievance
settlements from the United States Postal Service. We will continue to work with our law
enforcement partners and the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Labor-Management Standards to
investigate union officials who exploit their members for personal benefit,” said Syreeta Scott,
Special Agent-in-Charge, Philadelphia Region, U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Federal Housing Finance
Agency, Office of the Inspector General, with assistance from the United States Marshals Service,
and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kathryn Deal.
Topic(s):
Financial Fraud
Component(s):
USAO - Pennsylvania, Eastern
Contact:
UNITED STATES ATTORNEY’S OFFICE EASTERN DISTRICT OF PENNSYLVANIA 615 Chestnut
Street, Suite 1250 Philadelphia, PA 19106 JENNIFER CRANDALL Media Contact 215-861-8300 If
you have not done so already, follow @USAO_EDPA and @USAttyWilliams on Twitter to get the
most up-to-date information about big cases and community news.
                                                                                 Updated April 15, 2022


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