Information — United States v. Antrum Coston, District of Connecticut (Document 3)
Summary
An information in United States v. Antrum Coston, No. 3:22-cr-00257, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut, filed December 20, 2022 as Document 3. Count One charges wire fraud, alleging that Coston obtained two PPP loans of $20,833.00 each from Harvest Small Business Finance, LLC for a sole proprietorship called Uptop Cleaning Shop by claiming 2019 gross income of $114,658.00, and sought forgiveness of both on or about February 2, 2022. Count Two charges money laundering over a $15,000 withdrawal from the TD Bank account that received the loan funds on or about April 28, 2021. Count Three charges possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, cocaine and crack cocaine on or about December 31, 2021. The 8-page information seeks forfeiture of currency seized that day, including approximately $2,184.
Summary drafted by a model from the text of the original file linked on this page and checked by script against that text before publication. It is a navigation aid, not a reading of what the document proves. Where AI is used
Cite this document
“Information — United States v. Antrum Coston, District of Connecticut (Document 3).”
Original at archive.org. Archived at Pandemic Darlings, https://pandemicdarlings.com/source-documents/information-no-3-22-cr-00257-dkt-3-d-conn-16ea7b527b/
, SHA-256 41358ad66526843936d594fb1d9b2e19671a8ffbdeb70fc5fe560b8e4fa3f1b5.Full text
Case 3:22-cr-00257-SRU Document 3 Filed 12/20/22 Page 1 of 8
United States District Court
District of Connecticut
FILED AT BRIDGEPORT
LINITED STATES DISTzuCT COURT December 20 22
_______________________,20___
DISTRICT OF CONNECTICUT
By__________________________
Deputy Clerk
LINITED STATES OF AMERICA Criminal No. 3:22CR 257
V. VIOLATIONS:
18 U.S.C. $ 1343 (Wire Fraud)
18 U.S.C. $ 1957 (Money Laundering)
21 U.S.C. $$ 8a1(a)(1) and 841(bX1XC)
ANTRUM COSTON (Possession with Intent to Distribute
Controlled Substances)
INFORMATION
The United States Attorney charges:
COI.INT ONF)
(Wire Fraud)
The Defendant. Related EntiW. and Related Bank Account
l. At all times relevant to this information, the defendant ANTRUM COSTON
C'COSTON") resided in Connecticut.
2. Beginning on or about April 16, 2021, COSTON controlled a bank account at TD
Bank, which was titled in his niune, and which had an account number ending in7748 ("Account
x7748"). TD Bank was a financial institution whose deposits were insured by the Federal Deposit
Insurance Corporation.
3. On or about May 6, 2021, an entity called Uptop Cleaning Shop LLC ("Uptop
Cleaning Shop") was registered in the State of Connecticut, with registration information listing
the principal office and mailing addresses as being in West Haven, Connecticut, and listing
COSTON as a member with the same West Haven, Connecticut address.
i
Case 3:22-cr-00257-SRU Document 3 Filed 12/20/22 Page 2 of 8
Loans
4. First enacted in March 2020, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security
("CARES") Act provided emergency financial assistance related to the COVID-l9 pandemic,
including authorization of forgivable loans to small businesses through the Paycheck Protection
Program ("PPP").
5. In order to obtain a PPP loan, a qualiffing business was required to submit a PPP
loan application, which was signed by an authorized representative of the business. The PPP loan
application required that certain information and documentation be provided for the business in
order for a loan to be approved.
6. The PPP was overseen by the Small Business Administration ("SBA"), a federal
government agency which had authority over, and provided guarantees on, all PPP loans.
Individual PPP loans, however, were issued by private approved lenders, such as Harvest Small
Business Finance, LLC ("Harvest"), which received and processed PPP loan applications and
supporting documentation.
7. Documentation to support an application for a PPP loan may include an Intemal
Revenue Service ("IRS") Schedule C, Profit or Loss From Business ("Schedule C"), which can be
included with a taxpayer's individual income tax retum, IRS Form 1040, and filed with the IRS to
report items related to a sole proprietorship business to include gross receipts or sales, gross
income, expenses, and net profit or loss.
The Scheme and Artifice
8. From on or about April 19, 2021 through on or about February 2, 2022, in the
District of Connecticut and elsewhere, the defendant ANTRUM COSTON, knowingly and with
2
Case 3:22-cr-00257-SRU Document 3 Filed 12/20/22 Page 3 of 8
intent to defraud, devised and executed a scheme and artifice to defraud and to obtain money and
property by means of materially false and fraudulent pretenses, representations, and promises, that
is, COSTON knowingly provided materially false information to Harvest in order to obtain PPP
loans, when in fact COSTON was not eligible and entitled to receive such loans
Manner and Means
9. It was part of the scheme and artifice that on or about April 19, 2027, COSTON
caused to be signed and submitted an application (in connection with SBA Loan#7441538810) to
Harvest for a $20,833.00 PPP loan for a sole proprietorship business with dba or tradename "Uptop
Cleaning Shop" and business legal name "Antrum Coston," which contained material
misrepresentations including :
a. That the year of establishment for the above-named business was January
1,2018, when in fact, no such entity associated with COSTON had been
formed in 2018;
b That the above-named business had total gross income for 2019 (from IRS
Form 1040, Schedule C, Line 7) of $114,658.00, when in fact, the business
had not earned such income in 2019; and
c. That the above-named business was entitled to a loan of $20,833.00 based
on purported gross income of $114,658.00, when in fact, the business was
not entitled to such funds.
10. It was further part of the scheme and artifice that on or about April 21, 2021,
COSTON caused aNote for SBA Loan#7441538810 to be electronically signed.
11. It was further part of the scheme and artifice that on or about April 28, 202l,rn
connection with SBA Loan #7441538810, COSTON caused Harvest to transmit $20,833 to
Account x7748, which he controlled.
a
J
Case 3:22-cr-00257-SRU Document 3 Filed 12/20/22 Page 4 of 8
12. It was further part of the scheme and artifice that on or about April 22, 2021,
COSTON caused a "second draw borrower application" for a second PPP loan, to be signed and
submitted (in connection with SBA Loan #7698938905) to Harvest for the same sole
proprietorship business with business legal name "Antrum Coston" and dba or tradename "Uptop
Cleaning Shop," which included material misrepresentations on the application, including:
a. That the year of establishment for the above-named business was January
1,2018, when in fact, no such entity associated with COSTON had been
formed in 2018;
b. That the above-named business had total gross income for 2019 (from IRS
Form 1040, Schedule C, Line 7) of $114,658.00, when in fact, the business
had not eamed such income in 2019; and
c. That the above-named business was entitled to a loan of $20,833.00 based
on purported gross income of $1 14,658.00, when in fact, the business was
not entitled to such funds.
13. It was further part of the scheme and artifice that on or about May 24,2027,
COSTON caused a Note for SBA Loan #7698938905 to be electronically signed.
14. It was further part of the scheme and artifice that on or about June 1, 2021, in
connection with SBA Loan #7698938905, COSTON caused Harvest to transmit $20,833 to
Account x7748, which he controlled.
15. It was further part of the scheme and artifice that in or about April or May 2021,
COSTON caused the submission to Harvest of a document which purported to be a legitimate
2019 Schedule C that provided supposed documentary support for COSTON's PPP loan
applications referenced above. The submitted Schedule C was for proprietor "ANTRUM
COSTON" with business name "UP TOP CLEANING SHOP" and reflected gross receipts or sales
of $114,658 and a net profit of $104,640, when in fact, COSTON did not file this form with the
4
Case 3:22-cr-00257-SRU Document 3 Filed 12/20/22 Page 5 of 8
IRS, and COSTON did not operate a business in 2019 that had the reported net profit or gross
receipts or sales.
16. It was further part of the scheme and artifice that on or about February 2,2022,
COSTON sought loan forgiveness for both PPP loan draws ($20,833.00 each), falsely stating on
both forgiveness applications that the entirety of the loan amounts were spent on payroll costs,
when in fact, COSTON used funds for personal-type expenditures, and was not entitled to a salary
or compensation for a business that did not exist as of February 15 , 2020, as required to receive
PPP loans under the CARES Act.
Execution of the Scheme and Artifice
17 . For the purpose of executing the above-described scheme and artifice, on or about
April 19,2021, in the District of Connecticut and elsewhere, the defendant ANTRUM COSTON
transmitted and caused to be transmitted by means of wire communication in interstate commerce
certain writings, signs, signals, pictures, and sounds, that is, COSTON electronically signed and
submitted, and caused to be signed and submitted, an application (in connection with SBA Loan
#7441538810) to Harvest for a $20,833.00 PPP loan for a sole proprietorship business with dba or
tradename "Uptop Cleaning Shop" and business legal name "Antrum Coston," which included
material misrepresentations as described in Paragraph 9 above, for the purpose of fraudulently
claiming eligibility for a PPP loan and causing Harvest to make payment on the loan to a bank
account controlled by COSTON.
All in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1343.
5
Case 3:22-cr-00257-SRU Document 3 Filed 12/20/22 Page 6 of 8
COLINT TWO
(Money Laundering)
18. Paragraphs I through 77 are incorporated by reference.
19. On or about April 28, 2021, in the District of Connecticut and elsewhere, the
defendant ANTRUM COSTON did knowingly engage and attempt to engage in a monetary
transaction in criminally derived property of a value greater than $10,000, which involved a
financial institution which was engaged in, and the activities of which affected, interstate
commerce, such property having been derived from specified unlawful activity, that is wire fraud
in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1343,to wit, COSTON withdrew $15,000
from Accowtx7748 at TD Bank, which funds were principally derived from COSTON's fraud in
obtaining a PPP loan through Harvest.
All in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1957.
COUNT THREE
(Possession with Intent to Distribute Controlled Substances)
20. On or about December 31, 2021, in the District of Connecticut, the defendant
ANTRUM COSTON did knowingly and intentionally possess with intent to distribute a mixture
and substance containing a detectable amount of N-phenyl-N-[1- (2-phenylethyl )-4-piperidinyl]
propenamide ("fentanyl"), a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of cocaine, and
a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of cocaine base ("crack cocaine"), all
Schedule II controlled substances.
In violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 8a1(a)(l) and 841(bX1XC).
6
Case 3:22-cr-00257-SRU Document 3 Filed 12/20/22 Page 7 of 8
FORFEITURE ALLEGATION
(Controlled Substances Offense)
21. Upon conviction of the controlled substances offense alleged in Count Three of this
Information, defendant ANTRUM COSTON shall forfeit to the United States, pursuant to Title
21, United States Code, Section853, all right, title, and interest in any property constituting, or
derived from, proceeds obtained, directly or indirectly, as a result of the violation of Title 21,
United States Code, Section 841, and any property used, or intended to be used, in any manner or
part, to commit, or to facilitate the commission of the said violation, and a sum of money equal to
the total amount of proceeds obtained as a result of the offense, including but not limited to:
a. Approximately $2,184 in United States Currency seized from the defendant's person
on December 31, 2021 andcurrently in the possession of the West Haven (Connecticut)
Police Department; and
b. Approximately 52,790 in United States Currency seized from the defendant's residence
at an address on Coleman Street in West Haven on December 31, 2021, and currently
in the possession of the West Haven Police Department.
22. If any of the above-described forfeitable property, as a result of any act or omission
ofthe defendant, cannot be located upon the exercise ofdue diligence, has been transferred, sold
to, or deposited with a third party, has been placed beyond the jurisdiction of the court, has been
substantially diminished in value, or has been commingled with other property which cannot be
divided without difficulty, it is the intent of the United States, pursuant to Title 21, United States
Code, Section 853(p), to seek forfeiture of any other properry of said defendant up to the value of
the forfeitable property described above.
7
Case 3:22-cr-00257-SRU Document 3 Filed 12/20/22 Page 8 of 8
All in accordance with Title 21, United States Code, Section 853 and Rule 32.2(a) of the
Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure.
IINITED STATES OF AMERICA
Zka
ALFRED U. PAVLIS
FIRST ASSISTANT LINITED STATES ATTORNEY
ANT L]NITED STATES ATTORNEY
8
File and source
- File
- 3-information.pdf
- Size
- 3,375,782 bytes
- SHA-256
- 41358ad66526843936d594fb1d9b2e19671a8ffbdeb70fc5fe560b8e4fa3f1b5
- Our copy
- 3-information.pdf
- Original
- archive.org