Former Indiana Medical School Student Petitions to Plead Guilty to $325K COVID-19 Relief Fraud Scheme

Summary

Jonathan Andrew Jones, 31, of Lafayette, then a medical student in Indiana, has petitioned to plead guilty to two counts of wire fraud for a $325,000 COVID-19 relief fraud scheme; he is scheduled to enter the plea and be sentenced on November 19, 2026. According to court documents, between January 2021 and December 2022 Jones, sole owner of a purported tutoring business called Med School Side Hustle that had no customers, employees, revenue or expenses, received $197,000 from the SBA on an EIDL application backed by fabricated invoices. Two of three PPP applications in his own name paid $38,148, and applications in the identities of five friends and family members brought approximately $69,629, which he moved into his own accounts. In all he obtained $326,510.41 through 11 fraudulent applications and spent it on personal expenses, including gambling and cryptocurrency.

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# Former Indiana Medical School Student Petitions to Plead Guilty to $325K COVID-19 Relief Fraud Scheme

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Jonathan Andrew Jones, 31, of Lafayette, has petitioned to plead guilty to two counts of wire fraud for a $325,000 COVID-19 relief fraud scheme. The charges were brought as part of the Trump Administration’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud. Jones is currently scheduled to formally enter his guilty plea and be sentenced on November 19, 2026.

According to court documents, during the relevant period, Jones was a medical student in Indiana and the sole owner of a purported tutoring business called Med School Side Hustle.

Between January 2021 and December 2022, Jones defrauded the federal government by submitting fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) applications in his own name and in the names of others.

In one instance, Jones submitted an EIDL application falsely claiming that his business generated thousands of dollars in revenue and had significant payroll costs. In reality, Med School Side Hustle had no customers, no employees, no revenue, and no expenses. To support these claims, Jones submitted fabricated invoices for tutoring services that were never provided to clients who did not exist. As a result, he received $197,000 from the U.S. Small Business Administration.

Jones also submitted three PPP loan applications on behalf of himself, claiming he was the sole proprietor of a business with average monthly payroll costs exceeding $8,000. Two of the applications were approved, resulting in $38,148 in disbursed funds.

Additionally, Jones filed fraudulent PPP loan applications using the identities of five friends and family members for a total of approximately $69,629. Within days of the funds being deposited into accounts under those individuals’ names, Jones transferred the money into his own personal bank accounts.

In total, Jones submitted 11 fraudulent EIDL and PPP applications in his name and the names of others, illegally obtaining $326,510.41 in federal relief funds. He used the money for personal expenses, including gambling and purchasing cryptocurrency.

The U.S. Secret Service, Small Business Administration-OIG, the Department of Transportation-OIG, and the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee investigated this case.

U.S. Attorney Wheeler thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kyle Sawa and Adam Eakman, who prosecuted this case.

On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division (“Fraud Division”). The Fraud Division is investigating and prosecuting those who commit fraud against the American people. The Department’s work to combat fraud supports President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs.

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