Collin County Dentist Guilty of COVID-19 Relief Related Fraud

Summary

United States Attorney Brit Featherston announces that Brian Bui, 42, of Plano, pleaded guilty to wire fraud before U.S. Magistrate Judge Christine L. Stetson on Nov. 17, 2022. According to court documents, Bui used a dentistry business to obtain at least two Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans by submitting materially false application paperwork, including fabricated supporting documentation and false statements about the number of employees and monthly payroll expenses. The announcement says approximately $1.89 million in forgivable loans guaranteed by the Small Business Administration was obtained, and that funds were used for non-business, personal investments. Bui faces up to 30 years in federal prison. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after a presentence investigation.

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Full text

SHERMAN, Texas – A Plano, Texas, dentist has pleaded guilty to federal violations in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney Brit Featherston today.
Brian Bui, 42, of Plano, pleaded guilty to wire fraud before U.S. Magistrate Judge Christine L. Stetson on Nov. 17, 2022.
According to court documents, Bui used his dentistry business to obtain at least two Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans by submitting materially false application paperwork, including fabricating supporting documentation and lying about the number of employees and monthly payroll expenses.  As a result of his conduct, he obtained approximately $1.89 million in forgivable loans guaranteed by the Small Business Administration (SBA) under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.  Bui used the funds in a manner not authorized by the program, including for non-business, personal investments.
Under federal statutes, Bui faces up to 30 years in federal prison. The maximum statutory sentence prescribed by Congress is provided here for information purposes, as the sentencing will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the U.S. Probation Office.
This case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General 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. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the Department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus.
Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
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