U.S. Attorney Announces Results Of Multi-Faceted Strategy To Combat Fraud Related To COVID-19
Summary
A press release of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Florida, dated May 4, 2022, reporting results of the district's efforts against fraud related to COVID-19. It states that the Middle District of Florida COVID-19 Fraud Task Force, formed in March 2020, has prosecuted 28 defendants who collectively sought to defraud the United States of over $35 million, and that Eighteen have been found guilty. The release reports forfeiture of more than $14.3 million in fraudulently obtained PPP, EIDL and UI funds and more than $8.5 million seized and pending forfeiture. Examples include a $7.2 million PPP loan obtained by Don Cisternino and a $2.1 million PPP loan obtained by Casey Crowther, and a $1.3 million penalty paid by Physician Partners of America. A chart lists the criminal cases by division.
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“U.S. Attorney Announces Results Of Multi-Faceted Strategy To Combat Fraud Related To COVID-19.”
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Department of Justice
U.S. Attorney’s Office
Middle District of Florida
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Wednesday, May 4, 2022
U.S. Attorney Announces Results Of Multi-Faceted Strategy
To Combat Fraud Related To COVID-19
Tampa, FL – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the results achieved to date by
the Middle District of Florida’s efforts to combat fraud related to COVID-19. Those efforts have
included complementary actions by the Criminal, Asset Recovery, and Civil Divisions, along with
federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies.
“Throughout the pandemic, my office and our law-enforcement partners have used all available
methods to combat fraud related to COVID-19, and we will continue to do so,” stated U.S. Attorney
Handberg. “After the United States instituted multiple programs to financially assist those most
harmed by the pandemic, criminals sought to defraud those programs for personal enrichment at the
expense of the taxpayers who funded these programs. We will continue to disrupt these fraud
schemes, prosecute those who commit crimes, and return ill-gotten gains through our efforts.”
On the criminal-enforcement front, the United States Attorney’s Office and federal, state, and local
law enforcement agencies joined together in March 2020 to form the Middle District of Florida
COVID-19 Fraud Task Force to identify, investigate, and prosecute fraud related to the ongoing
COVID-19 pandemic. Since its inception, the Task Force has prosecuted 28 defendants for fraud
schemes designed to exploit federal programs created or expanded to address the COVID-19
pandemic, including the Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”), Economic Injury Disaster Loans
(“EIDL”), Unemployment Insurance (“UI”), and the Main Street Lending Program (“MSLP”). These
defendants collectively sought to defraud the United States of over $35 million. Eighteen of those
defendants have already been found guilty, while prosecution remains pending against ten
defendants. (See chart for criminal case details.)
Further, the District’s Asset Recovery Division and federal seizing agencies have completed the
forfeiture of more than $14.3 million of PPP, EIDL, and UI funds that were fraudulently obtained,
depriving the fraudsters of their ill-gotten gains and recovering the proceeds for the victims. More
than $8.5 million in additional pandemic fraud proceeds have been seized and are pending civil or
criminal forfeiture.
For example, in May 2020, Don Cisternino obtained a $7.2 million PPP loan for a non-existent
movie production company. Cisternino used almost $3.5 million of the PPP loan proceeds to buy a
12,579 square foot luxury home with seven bedrooms, 11 bathrooms, a four-car garage, theater room,
resort-style pool and spa area, tennis courts, and a 5-stall horse barn, on more than twelve acres,
pictured below.
The United States completed a civil forfeiture of the lavish home, selling it earlier this year for more
than $4 million, which will be returned to the victim. Cisternino has been indicted in Orlando and
was arraigned on April 29, 2022, after being successfully extradited from Croatia. The Justice
Department’s Office of International Affairs provided valuable assistance in securing Cisternino’s
arrest and extradition.
Similarly, in April 2020, Casey Crowther obtained a $2.1 million PPP loan by falsely stating that he
intended to use the money for his roofing company. However, Crowther quickly used the proceeds
for personal purchases, including nearly $700,000 for a 40’ catamaran boat, pictured below.
Crowther was convicted following a trial in Fort Myers, and in June 2021, he was sentenced to over
three years in federal prison and was ordered to forfeit the boat and over $3 million.
The District’s Civil Division has similarly combatted fraud related to COVID-19 through its
enforcement efforts. For example, in the summer of 2020, consumers complained about websites
that were falsely claiming to sell personal protection equipment for the COVID-19 virus. Agents from
the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General identified three men in
Vietnam who were using hundreds of web pages to steal money from consumers seeking to purchase
PPE. The Civil Division and the agents together halted the payments from U.S. purchasers and
obtained a permanent restraining order blocking the websites from being hosted by a U.S. company.
The men are now in custody in Vietnam and are facing criminal charges there.
Further, as a result of the efforts of the Civil Division, a Tampa pain management practice, Physician
Partners of America, and its affiliated companies, paid a $1.3 million penalty under the Financial
Institutions Reform, Recovery, and Enforcement Act as part of a larger civil settlement, to resolve
our claim that the defendants improperly applied for a PPP loan of over $5.9 million while engaged
in unlawful Medicare overbilling. Similarly, in two recent bankruptcy proceedings handled by the
Civil Division, debtors were required to return PPP loans totaling almost $2 million because the
United States objected to their obtaining the loans while also seeking bankruptcy protections.
The Attorney General has established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the
resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance
efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. For more information on the department’s
response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus.
Through the PPP, the federal government authorized over $600 billion in forgivable loans to small
businesses for job retention and certain other expenses through the PPP. The EIDL program
provides economic relief to small businesses that are currently experiencing a temporary loss of
revenue. The MSLP provided support to small and medium-sized businesses and their employees
across the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic. UI programs provided unemployment
benefits to eligible workers who became unemployed through no fault of their own.
The criminal cases identified in the linked chart have been investigated by the Federal Bureau of
Investigation, United States Secret Service, Internal Revenue Service—Criminal Investigation,
Department of Labor—Office of Inspector General, U.S. Postal Service, Federal Housing Finance
Agency, Small Business Administration, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation—Office of Inspector
General, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, Metropolitan Bureau of Investigation, the Tampa
Police Department, the Orlando Police Department, and the Orange County Sheriff’s Office. The
cases are being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys throughout the Middle District of
Florida.
The Department of Justice needs the public’s assistance in remaining vigilant and reporting
suspected fraudulent activity. To report suspected fraud, contact the National Center for Disaster
Fraud (NCDF) at (866) 720-5721 or file an online complaint at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-
fraud/webform/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form. Complaints filed will be reviewed at the NCDF and
referred to federal, state, local, or international law enforcement or regulatory agencies for
investigation.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of
federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.
United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida
COVID Fraud Cases
Intended
Charge(s)
Loss
Defendant(s) (Age) Type of Fraud*
Max. Imprisonment
Amount
Tampa Division
Conspiracy to commit bank fraud
Richard Simpkins (47) Maximum Prison Term: 30 Years
PPP $1.9M
Illegal monetary transactions
Maximum Prison Term: 10 Years
Wire fraud
Joseph Abdo (39) Maximum Prison Term: 20 Years
PPP $500k
Illegal monetary transactions
Maximum Prison Term: 10 Years
Wire fraud
Jorge Gutierrez Echeverria
EIDL $150k
(33)
Maximum Prison Term: 20 Years
Conspiracy to commit wire fraud
Maximum Prison Term: 5 Years
Steve Moodie (33)
Wire fraud
Melinda Hernandez (33) UI $550k
Maximum Prison Term: 20 Years
Aggravated identity theft
Maximum: Prison Term: Two
Years Consecutive
These COVID Fraud cases from the Tampa Division are being handled by AUSAs Rachel Jones, Greg Pizzo,
Candace Rich, and Jennifer Peresie
Orlando Division
Wire fraud
Maximum Prison Term: 20 Years
$7.2M
Illegal Monetary Transactions
Don Cisternino (46)
PPP
Maximum Prison Term: 10 Years
Aggravated Identity Theft
Maximum: Prison Term: Two
Years Consecutive
Wire fraud
Emmet Bowens (53) Maximum Prison Term: 20 Years
PPP $740k
Illegal monetary transactions
Maximum Prison Term: 10 Years
These COVID Fraud cases from the Orlando Division are being handled by AUSAs Chauncey Bratt and
Amanda Daniels
Fort Myers Division
Wire fraud
Maximum Prison Term: 20 Years
Bank fraud
Maximum Prison Term: 30 Years
Daniel Joseph Tisone (34)
PPP/EIDL/MSLP $2.6M
Money laundering
Maximum Prison Term: 10 Years
Aggravated Identity Theft
Maximum Prison Term: 2 Years
Consecutive
Possession of Ammunition by a
Prohibited Person
Maximum Prison Term: 10 Years
Liliana Gonzalez (31) Wire fraud
PPP $169k
Maximum Prison Term: 20 Years
These COVID Fraud cases from the Fort Myers Division are being handled by AUSAs Trent Reichling and
Shannon Laurie
Adjudicated Cases
Tampa Division
Access device fraud
$135k
Maximum Prison Term: 10 Years
Rolanda Wingfield (39)
UI
Aggravated identity theft
Maximum: Prison Term: Two
Years Consecutive
Conspiracy to commit money
Keith Nicoletta (49)
laundering
PPP $1.9M
Maximum Prison Term: 20 Years
Wire fraud
Maximum Prison Term: 20 Years
Randy Jones (34)
EIDL/UI $250k
Aggravated identity theft
Maximum: Prison Term: Two
Years Consecutive
Rosenide Venant (37) $413k
Conspiracy to commit money
EIDL/PPP
laundering
Maximum Prison Term: 20 Years
Conspiracy to commit money
Julio Lugo (45)
laundering
EIDL/PPP $4.4M
Maximum Prison Term: 20 Years
These COVID Fraud cases from the Tampa Division are being handled by AUSAs Rachel Jones and Tiffany
Fields
Orlando Division
Conspiracy to commit bank fraud
Maximum Prison Term: 30 Years
Bank fraud
Tomas Ziupsnys (39)
PPP $2M
Maximum Prison Term: 30 Years
Aggravated identity theft
Maximum: Prison Term: Two
Years Consecutive
Holly Urban (36) Conspiracy to commit bank fraud
PPP $1.5M
Maximum Prison Term: 30 Years
These COVID Fraud cases from the Orlando Division are being handled by AUSA Emily Chang
Fort Myers Division
Conspiracy to commit wire fraud
Anthony Bruey (36)
Maximum Prison Term: 30 Years
Amber Bruey (35) PPP/EIDL $881k
Wire fraud
Maximum Prison Term: 30 Years
Conspiracy to commit money
laundering
Maximum Prison Term: 10 Years
Illegal monetary transactions
Maximum Prison Term: 10 Years
False statement to a lending
Edrica Leann Watson (30)
institution
PPP $392k
Maximum Prison Term: 30 Year
These COVID Fraud cases from the Fort Myers Division are being handled by AUSAs Trent Reichling and
Jesus M. Casas
Sentenced Cases
Tampa Division
Wire Fraud
Louis Thornton, III (63)
EIDL/PPP $815k
Sentence Imposed: 42 months in
federal prison
Conspiracy to commit access device
fraud and aggravated identity theft
Kary Stevenson (48)
Sentence Imposed: 5 years, 10
Corey Quinn (35) months in federal prison UI $1M
(Stevenson)
Sentence Imposed:7 years in
federal prison (Quinn)
Bank fraud
Bridgitte Keim (52)
PPP $588k
Sentence Imposed: 2 years in
federal prison
Wayne Ganaway (47) Conspiracy to commit wire fraud EIDL $300k
Sentence Imposed: 4 years in
federal prison
These COVID Fraud cases from the Tampa Division were handled by AUSAs Rachel Jones, Greg Pizzo,
Tiffany Fields, and SAUSA Chris Poor
Orlando Division
Possession of short-barreled rifle;
$10k
felon in possession of firearm; and
Jacquavius Smith (21)
aggravated identity theft
PPP
Sentence Imposed: 7 years, 1
month in federal prison
Wire fraud
Johnson Eustache (40)
EIDL/PPP $2.2M
Sentence Imposed: 5 years in
federal prison
Conspiracy to commit wire fraud
Joseph Harrison (43)
UI $2.1M
Sentence Imposed: 12 months in
federal prison
These COVID Fraud cases from the Orlando Division were handled by AUSAs John Gardella, Amanda
Daniels, Chauncey Bratt, and Jennifer Harrington
Fort Myers Division
Bank fraud, false statement to a
financial institution, illegal
Casey Crowther (36)
monetary transaction
PPP $2.7M
Sentence Imposed: 3 years, 1
month in federal prison
This COVID Fraud case from the Fort Myers Division was handled by AUSA Trent Reichling
Types of Fraud*
Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL)
Paycheck Protection Program (PPP)
Unemployment Insurance (UI)
Main Street Lending Program (MSLP)
Topic(s):
Coronavirus
Asset Forfeiture
Disaster Fraud
Financial Fraud
Component(s):
USAO - Florida, Middle
Updated May 4, 2022
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