Convicted Felon Accused of Lying on COVID-19 Loan Applications to Obtain Over $182,000
Summary
A press release of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Utah dated Tuesday, November 14, 2023, announcing that a federal grand jury in Salt Lake City indicted Carter Lane Lucas, 47, of Herriman, on wire fraud charges for allegedly lying about his criminal history when applying for small business loans during the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the release, he obtained approximately $182,800 from the Paycheck Protection Program and the Economic Injury Disaster Loan program, submitting applications from April 2020 to August 2021 through Mountain America Credit Union and the SBA. It states that he falsely asserted in his PPP application that he had not been convicted of a felony within the last five years. The release number is 23-78.
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Press Release Convicted Felon Accused of Lying on COVID-19 Loan Applications to Obtain Over $182,000 Tuesday, November 14, 2023 For Immediate Release U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Utah SALT LAKE CITY – A federal grand jury in Salt Lake City returned an indictment charging a Utah resident with wire fraud after he allegedly lied about his criminal history when applying for multiple small business loans during the COVID-19 pandemic. According to court documents, Carter Lane Lucas, 47, of Herriman, Utah, defrauded the COVID-19 relief programs dubbed the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and the Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program (EIDL) out of approximately $182,800 in loan funds. From April 2020 to August 2021, Lucas submitted multiple fraudulent PPP- and EIDL-Loan applications through Mountain America Credit Union and the Small Business Administration (SBA) and then used the loan proceeds for his personal benefit. According to court documents, during his PPP-Loan application submission, Lucas falsely asserted that he had not been convicted of a felony within the last five years, when in fact he had. In his EIDL-Loan application, and when submitting his EIDL-Loan modification request, Lucas falsely claimed that other than a minor vehicle violation, he had no criminal history. Lucas submitted his fraudulent PPP-Loan application and EIDL-Loan application and modification request using interstate wires. Lucas is charged with three counts of wire fraud. His initial court appearance on the indictment is scheduled for Nov. 15, 2023, at 2:00 p.m. in courtroom 8.4 before a U.S. Magistrate Judge at the Orrin G. Hatch United States District Courthouse in downtown Salt Lake City. U.S. Attorney, Trina A. Higgins, of the District of Utah made the announcement. The Utah Federal COVID-19 Fraud Strike Force is investigating the case, which includes the Office of Inspector General U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA-OIG), U.S. Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Assistant United States Attorney Todd C. Bouton of the District of Utah is prosecuting the case. 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 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 and https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus/combatingfraud . 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 . An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. CarterLLucas.Indictment.Unsealed Contact Felicia Martinez Public Affairs Specialist Felicia.martinez@usdoj.gov (801) 325-3237 USAO-UT | Facebook | Twitter Updated November 14, 2023 Topic Coronavirus Component USAO - Utah Press Release Number: 23-78 Related Content Press Release California Man Accused of Defrauding the Federal Government Over $100,000 in Unemployment Benefits During COVID-19 SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – An indictment was unsealed after a California man was arrested and is scheduled to appear in a Salt Lake City federal courthouse. The eight count... January 4, 2024 Press Release Three Year Manhunt for an Alleged Fake Doctor Selling an Unproven Coronavirus Cure Ends with Utah Fugitive Behind Bars Salt Lake City , Utah – A Utah resident and three-year fugitive was arrested in Utah County on federal charges after fleeing from federal law enforcement in 2020. August 14, 2023 Press Release Utah Woman Found Guilty of $10M Worth of PPP Loan Fraud Salt Lake City , Utah – A federal jury convicted a Salt Lake County woman Thursday of two counts of making false statements designed to influence a bank, one count... June 30, 2023
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