Information — United States v. Andre Clark, Southern District of Florida (Document 21)
Summary
A criminal information in United States v. Andre Clark, No. 0:21-cr-60029-WPD, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, entered on the docket January 25, 2021 as Document 21. It charges conspiracy to commit wire fraud under Title 18, United States Code, Section 371, alleging that the defendant, Individual 1 and others submitted fraudulent PPP loan applications with falsified bank statements and payroll tax forms. The information identifies the defendant as president and registered agent of Top Choice, LLC. Its overt acts describe a PPP application for Top Choice requesting $488,545 on the claim of 25 employees and an average monthly payroll of $195,426, and text messages about recruiting others to submit applications. A certificate of trial attorney, a penalty sheet and a waiver of indictment form are attached.
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“Information — United States v. Andre Clark, Southern District of Florida (Document 21).”
Original at archive.org. Archived at Pandemic Darlings, https://pandemicdarlings.com/source-documents/information-no-0-21-cr-60029-dkt-21-s-d-fla-fd1366fe97/
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Case 0:21-cr-60029-WPD Document 21 Entered on FLSD Docket 01/25/2021 Page 1 of JA
10
Jan 25, 2021
UN ITED STA TE S D ISTR IC T C O U RT
SO U TH ERN D ISTRIC T O F FLO RID A
21-60029-CR-DIMITROULEAS/SNOW
C ase N o.
18U.S.C.j371
18U.S.C.j982
U N ITED STAT ES O F A M ER ICA
VS.
AN D R E CLA R K ,
D efendant.
IN FO R M A TIO N
The United States Attonzey chargesthat:
G EN ER AL A LLE G A TIO N S
A talltim es m aterialto this Infonuation:
The Pavcheck Protection Prozram
TheCoronavirusAid,Relief,andEconomicSecurity(tûCARES'')Actwasafederal
law enacted in oraround M arch 2020 and designed to provide em ergency financialassistance to
the m illions of A m ericans w ho are suffering the econom ic effects caused by the CO V 1D -19
pandem ic. One source ofreliefprovided by the CAR ES A ctw as the authorization offorgivable
loanstosmallbusinessesforjob retentionandcertain otherexpenses,through aprogram referred
toasthePaycheck ProtectionProgram (tkPPP'').
In orderto obtain aPPP loan,a qualifying business subm itted a PPP loan application,
which was signed by an authorized representative of the business. The PPP loan application
requiredthebusiness(throughitsauthorizedrepresentative)toacknowledgetheprogram rulesand
m ake certain affirm ative certifications in orderto be eligible to obtain the PPP loan. ln the PPP
Case 0:21-cr-60029-WPD Document 21 Entered on FLSD Docket 01/25/2021 Page 2 of 10
loanapplication(Smal1BusinessAdministration(ûtSBA'')Fonn2483),thesmallbusiness(through
itsauthorizedrepresentative)wasrequiredtoprovide,amongotherthings,its:(a)averagemonthly
payrollexpenses'
,and(b)numberofemployees.Thesefigureswereusedtocalculatetheamount
of m oney the sm all business was eligible to receive under the PPP. ln addition, businesses
applying fora PPP loan w ererequired to providedocum entation continning theirpayrollexpenses.
A PPP loan application w as processed by a participating lender. lf a PPP loan
application w as approved,the participating lender f'unded the PPP loan using its ow n m onies.
W hile itw asthe participating lender thatissued the PPP loan,the loan w as 100% guaranteed by
the SBA . D ata from the application,including infonuation aboutthe borrow er,the totalam ount
ofthe loan,and the listed num berofem ployees,w as transm itted by the lender to the SBA in the
course ofprocessing the loan.
PPP loan proceeds were required to be used by the business on certain pennissible
expenses payrollcosts,intereston m ortgages,rent,and utilities. The PPP allow ed the interest
and principal on the PPP loan to be entirely forgiven ifthe business spent the loan proceeds on
these expense item sw ithin a designated period oftim e and used a detined portion ofthe PPP loan
PFOCCCIIS On Payrollexpenses.
The D efendant.R elated E ntitiesand lndividuals
TopChoice,LLC (ût-f'opChoice'')wasaFloridacorporationwithitslistedprincipal
addressat4839 SW V olunteerR oad,Suite 226,in D avie,Florida.
D efendant A N DR E CLA R K , a resident of Brow ard County, Florida, w as the
presidentand registered agentofTop Choice.
Case 0:21-cr-60029-WPD Document 21 Entered on FLSD Docket 01/25/2021 Page 3 of 10
Bank l w as a financialinstitution based in SaltLake C ity,Utah,thatw as insured
bytheFederalDepositInsuranceCorporation (ûtFD1C'').Bank lwasan approved SBA lenderof
PPP loans.
Bank Processor 1 w as a third-pal'ty com pany processor,based in R edw ood City,
California,thatprocessed PPP loan applications for Bank 1.
9. lndividual1 w as a residentofBrow ard County,Florida.
C onspiracy to Com m itW ire Fraud
(18U.S.C.j371)
From in or around M ay 2020,through in or around atleastJune 2020,in Brow ard
County,in the Southern D istrictofFlorida,and elsewhere,the defendant,
A N D RE C LA R K ,
didwillfully,thatis,withtheintenttofurthertheobjectoftheconspiracy,andknowinglycombine,
conspire,confederate,and agree w ith Individual 1 and w ith others know n and unknown to the
United StatesA ttorney,to know ingly,and w ith the intentto defraud,devise,and intend to devise,
a schem e and artifice to defraud,and to obtain m oney and property by m eans ofm aterially false
and fraudulent pretenses, representations, and prom ises, know ing that the pretenses,
representations, and prom ises w ere false and fraudulent w hen m ade, and, for the purpose of
executing the schem e and artitice,did ltnow ingly transm itand cause to be transm itted,by m eans
of w ire com m unication in interstate com m erce, certain m itings, signs, signals, pictures and
sounds,in violation ofTitle 18,U nited StatesCode,Section 1343.
PU R PO SE O F TH E C O N SPIM C Y
ltw as the purpose ofthe conspiracy for the defendant and his co-conspirators to
unlawfully enrich themselvesby,amongotherthings:(a)submittingandcausingthesubmission
offalse and fraudulentapplicationsforloansand grantsm adeavailablethrough the SBA to provide
Case 0:21-cr-60029-WPD Document 21 Entered on FLSD Docket 01/25/2021 Page 4 of 10
reliefforthe economic effectscaused by the COV1D-l9 pandemic,including PPP loans;(b)
offering, paying, and receiving kickbacks in retulm tbr refening other individuals for the
submission offalse and fraudulentloan applications;and (c)diverting fraud proceedsforthe
defendant's and co-conspirators; personaluse,the use and benetit of others,and to further the
conspiracy.
M A N N ER A N D M EA N S O F TH E C O N SPIM C Y
The m anner and m eans by which the defendant and his co-conspirators sought to
accomplishtheobjectandpurposeoftheconspiracyincluded,amongothers,thefollowing:
A N D R E CLA R K ,lndividual 1,and other co-conspirators subm itted and caused
the subm ission offraudulentPPP loan applicationsforTop Choice and otherentities,via interstate
w ire com m unications.
13. The PPP loan applications subm itted by AN D R E C LA R K ,lndividual1 and other
co-conspirators forTop Choice and otherentities,included falsitied bank statem ents and payroll
tax fonns,am ong other things,and falsely and fraudulently represented the borrow ing entities'
num berofem ployees and am ountofm onthly payroll.
A N D RE CL AR K , lndividual and other co-conspirators recruited co-
conspirators to subm it additional fraudulent PPP loan applications, often in exchange for
kickbacksfrom the proceedsreceived through the fraudulently obtained PPP loans.
15. A s a result ofthe false and fraudulent PPP loan applications subm itted as pal4 of
this schem e,Bank 1 and other participating banks disbursed m illions of dollars' in PPP loan
proceeds,w hich w ere transferred to AN D R E CLA R K ,lndividual 1,and other co-conspirators
via interstate wire transm issions.
Case 0:21-cr-60029-WPD Document 21 Entered on FLSD Docket 01/25/2021 Page 5 of 10
O V ER T A C TS
lnfurtheranceoftheconspiracy,andtoaccomplish itsobjectandpurpose,atleastoneof
the co-conspiratorscom m itted and caused to be com m itted,in the Southern D istrictofFlorida and
elsew here,atleastone ofthe follow ing ovel'
tacts,am ong others:
On or aboutM ay 19,2020,A N D RE C LAR K visited a bank in Brow ard County,
Florida,and opened businesschecking and savings accountsin the nam e of Top Choice.
O n oraboutM ay l9,2020,Individual 1sentA N D R E CLA R K a textm essage that
stated:ûil-
liAndrethisisglndividual11lock inmynumber1am workingonyourtile1needsocial
security num ber and date ofbirth.''
O n oraboutM ay 19,2020,AN D R E CLA R K sentlndividual 1a textm essage that
included his date ofbirth and socialsecurity num ber.
On or about M ay 19,2020,lndividual 1 texted AN D R E C LA R K :ûûcheck your
em ailand activate youraccountJustopen em ailand click the link.''
On or about M ay 20, 2020, Individual 1 electronically subm itted a PPP loan
application packageon behalfofTop Choice to Bank lthrough Bank Processor l.The application
fonn,w hich w as electronically signed w ith the nam e tûA ndre Clark,''requested a loan for Top
Choicein theam ountof$488,545 based on theclaim thatthe company had 25 employeesand an
averagem onthly payrollof$195,426.
6. O n oraboutM ay 20,2020,AN D R E C LA RK forw arded lndividual 1 an em ailhe
had received from Bank Processor 1 with the subject,ûtYou have an offer forthe Paycheck
Protection Program .'' The em ailstated:ûûA ndre,the SBA has finished review ing yourapplication
and you've been approved foryourPaycheck Protection Program loan. A cceptyourofferto access
m ore inform ation,including the nextsteps.''
Case 0:21-cr-60029-WPD Document 21 Entered on FLSD Docket 01/25/2021 Page 6 of 10
On oraboutM ay 27,2020.A N DR E CL AR K senta textm essage to lndividual 1
w ith inform ation regarding the referral of an individual into the schem e. This text m essage
included,among otherthings:(1)theindividual'sname,address,date ofbirth,socialsecurity
number,and e-mailaddress'
,(2)the individual's business name,business address,EIN,and
businessstartdate;and(3)bankaccountandroutingnumbers.
8. O n oraboutM ay 28,2020,regarding the refenulreferenced in paragraph 7,above,
Individual1 texted A N DR E CLA R K thathe needed ûta february statem entfrom her creditunion
m ake sure ifshe cantdownload and send in pdfshe takes a good picture ofitso ican m odify it.''
On or about M ay 30,2020,A N DR E C LA R K texted lndividual 1:ûûl-low m any l
gaveyousofarthatisworkingbesidesthefirsttwoonesalreadycompleted g...11wantatleast10
m ore people w ithin the nextfew days.''
A l1in violation ofTitle l8,U nited States Code,Section 371.
FO R FE ITU R E A LLEG A TIO N S
The allegations contained in this Inform ation are hereby re-alleged and by this
reference fully incorporated herein for the purpose of alleging forfeiture to the U nited States of
certain property in w hich the defendant,AN D R E C LA RK ,hasan interest.
Upon conviction of a violation of Title 18, United States Code,Section 371,as
alleged in this lnform ation, the defendant shall forfeit to the United States any property
constituting,or derived from ,any proceeds the defendant obtained,directly or indirectly,as the
resultofsuchviolationpursuanttoTitlel8,UnitedStatesCode,Section 982(a)(2)(A).
3. Ifanyofthepropertysubjectto forfeiture,asaresultofanyactoromissionofthe
defendant:
cannotbe located upon the exercise ofdue diligence;
Case 0:21-cr-60029-WPD Document 21 Entered on FLSD Docket 01/25/2021 Page 7 of 10
b. has been transferred orsold to,ordeposited w ith,a third party;
hasbeenplacedbeyondthejurisdictionofthecourt;
hasbeen substantially dim inished in value;or
e. hasbeen com m ingled w ith otherproperty w hich cannotbe divided w ithoutdifticulty,
the United States shallbe entitled to the forfeiture of substitute property under the provisions of
Title21,UnitedStatesCode,Section 853(p).
AllpursuanttoTitle18,United StatesCode,Section982(a)(2)(A),andtheproceduresset
forth in Title 21,U nited States Code,Section 853,asincorporated by Title 18,United StatesCode,
Section982(b)(1).
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Case 0:21-cr-60029-WPD Document 21 Entered on FLSD Docket 01/25/2021 Page 8 of 10
UNITED STATES D ISTRICT CO URT
SO UMINHERN DISTR ICT O F FLO RIDA
UNITED STATES OF AM ERICA
C ERTIFICATE O F TRIA L ATTO RNEY*
A NDR E CLA R K ,
Superseding C ase lnform ation:
Defendant. /
CourtDivision'
.(selectOne) New defendantts) Yes
M iam i Key W est Numberofnew defendants
FTL W PB FTP Totalnumberofcounts
Ihavecarefully considered the allegationsoftheindictment,the numberofdefendants,the num berof
probable witnessesand thelegalcomplexitiesofthe lndictluent/lnformation attachedhereto.
lam aware thatthe information supplied on this statem ent willbe relied upon by the Jtldges ofthis
Courtin setting theircalendars and scheduling criminaltrials underthe mandate ofthe Speedy Trial
Act,Title28 U.S.C.Section3161.
lnterpreter'
. (YesorNo)
Listlanguagc ald/ordialcct
Thiscasewilltake 0 daysfbrthepartiesto try.
Pleasecheck appropriate categoryandtype ofoffense listedbelow :
(claeckonlyone) (C-heckoniyone)
l 0 to 5 days / Pet'
ty
11 6 to 10 days M inor
IlI 11to 20 days M isdem .
IV 21to 60 days Felony ?'
V 61daysand over
6. HasthiscasepreviouslybeentiledinthisDistrictCourt? (YesorNo) No
lfyes:Judge CaseNo.
(Attachcopyofdispositiveorder)
Hasacomplaintbeent' iledinthismatter? (YesorNo) YCS
lfyes:M agistrateCaseNo. 20-1111-6318-PM H
Related miscellaneousntlmbers:
Defendantts)infederalcustody asof
Defendantts)instatecustodyasof
Rule20from theD istrictof
lsthisapotentialdeathpenalty case?(YesorNo) No
Doesthiscase originatefrom am atterpending in theCentralRegion ofthe U.S.Attorney'sOffice
priortoAugust9,2013(Mag.JudgeAlicia0.Valle)? Yes No é
Doesthiscase originate from a matterpending intheNorthern Region ofthe U.S.Attorney'sOftice
priortoAugust8,20l4(Mag.JudgeShaniekMaynard)? Yes No z
Doesthiscase originate from a matterpending intheCentr ' n oftheU.S.Attorney'sOffice
priortoOctober3,2019 (M ag.JudgeJaredStrauss)? . Yes No z
D AV ID S.TURK EN
A SSISTA N T IJN ITED STATES A TTO RN EY
*p FLO RIDA BA R N O . 28573
enaltySheetts)attached
Case 0:21-cr-60029-WPD Document 21 Entered on FLSD Docket 01/25/2021 Page 9 of 10
UN ITED ST ATE S D ISTR ICT C O U R T
SO U TH ERN D ISTR ICT O F FLO R ID A
PEN A LTY SH EET
D efendant's N am e: A N DR E C LAR K
Count#:l
Conspiracy to Com m itW ire Fraud
*M ax.Penalty: Five(5)Years'lmprisonment
*ltefers only to possible term ofincarceration,doesnotinclude possible fines,restitution,
specialassessm ents,parole term s,orforfeitures thatm ay be applicable.
Case 0:21-cr-60029-WPD Document 21 Entered on FLSD Docket 01/25/2021 Page 10 of 10
AO 455(Rev.01/09)WaivcrofanIndictment
U NITED STATES D ISTRICT C OURT
forthe
Southern DistrictofFlorida
United StatesofAm erica
V. CaseN o.
ANDRE CLARK,
W A IV ER O F A N IND IC TM ENT
lunderstand thatlhave been accused ofone orm ore offensespunishable by imprisonmentformorethan one
year.lwasadvised in open courtofmy rightsand thenature ofthe proposed chargesagainstme.
(late:
Printednameofdefelldant'
st7//t?r77ttJ.
Judgeb'si
gnature
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