John L. Hutchins, 72, of Lewiston, NY, and Roberto Soliman, 45, of Niagara Falls, NY, Were Sentenced (Rapids Theatre, Buffalo)

Summary

A U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of New York press release dated 2026-01-21 announcing that Judge Meredith A. Vacca sentenced John L. Hutchins of Lewiston, NY to 14 months in prison and Roberto Soliman of Niagara Falls, NY to 20 months after their convictions for conspiracy to commit wire fraud and bank fraud, with full restitution to the SBA and victim banks. According to the release, they filed fraudulent EIDL, PPP and Shuttered Venue Operators Grant applications for companies including Rapids Theatre Niagara Falls, USA, Inc., Bear Creek Entertainment, LLC and CWE Entertainment, Corp., with false revenue and expense figures. It states that they received EIDL loans totaling $779,500.00, SVOG funds totaling $989,905.05 and PPP loans totaling $115,978.

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“John L. Hutchins, 72, of Lewiston, NY, and Roberto Soliman, 45, of Niagara Falls, NY, Were Sentenced (Rapids Theatre, Buffalo).” Original at www.justice.gov. Archived at Pandemic Darlings, https://pandemicdarlings.com/source-documents/2026-01-21-rapids-theatre-owner-and-co-defendant-sentenced-for-defraud-cc6b928505/, SHA-256 edb9763c675f01400c30245e0b9071b6559ed1fb1087ce5ce46e3fd36abd3eb5.

Full text

BUFFALO, N.Y.-U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that John L. Hutchins, 72, of Lewiston, NY, and Roberto Soliman, 45, of Niagara Falls, NY, who were convicted of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and bank fraud, were sentenced by Judge Meredith A. Vacca. Hutchins was sentenced to serve 14 months in prison, while Soliman was sentenced to serve 20 months. Both defendants were also ordered to pay full restitution to the Small Business Administration and the victim banks.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Paul E. Bonanno and Douglas A. C. Penrose, who handled the case, stated that between March 2020, and March 2024, Hutchins and Soliman conspired with others to file fraudulent loan applications to obtain money through Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL), the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), and the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant (SVOG). The loans available for these programs were designed to provide emergency financial assistance pursuant to the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES Act). Hutchins and Soliman applied for loans under the following companies, which were owned by Hutchins:
• Rapids Theatre Niagara Falls, USA, Inc.
• 1711 Main, LLC
• Bear Creek Entertainment, LLC
• Hutch Enterprises, LLC
• The Hutchins Agency, LLC
• CWE Entertainment, Corp. (owned by defendant Soliman)
Between March and August 2020, Hutchins and Soliman received Economic Injury Disaster Loans totaling $779,500.00, SVOG loans totaling $989,905.05 and PPP loans totaling $115,978. In support of each of the loans, Hutchins and Soliman submitted false revenue and expense figures for the businesses on the loan applications.
“These defendants conspired with others to take advantage of government programs designed to assist struggling businesses during the COVID 19 epidemic,” stated U.S. Attorney DiGiacomo. “By submitting false and fraudulent applications, Hutchins and Soliman lined their own pockets, thereby depriving struggling businesses that were actually eligible for this money.
“Hutchins and Soliman abused a system of benefits put in place specifically for businesses experiencing hardships. Instead of using the money legitimately, the pair stole nearly $2 million from the program while others still waited in line. Today’s sentencing means that each of these fraudsters will now face the punishment of their illicit, greedy behavior,” said Harry T. Chavis, Jr., Special Agent-in-Charge of IRS-CI New York.
The sentencings are the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Philip Tejera, the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation Division, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Harry Chavis, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, under the direction of Rose Brophy, Director of Field Operations, and the New York State Office of Professional Discipline.
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