Tampa Man Pleads Guilty To Fraudulently Spending More Than $300,000 In COVID Relief Funds

Summary

A press release of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Florida dated Thursday, April 10, 2025, announcing that Denys Perez, 31, of Tampa, has pleaded guilty to wire fraud related to COVID relief funds. It states that he faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison and a forfeiture order of $502,900, as well as forfeiture of property bought with proceeds of the offense. According to the plea agreement, between September 2021 and January 2022 he applied for Economic Injury Disaster Loan funds and was awarded $502,900, certifying that he would use the proceeds solely as working capital. The release states that he spent more than $300,000 of the funds on personal expenses, including the purchase of a house, and was announced by United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe.

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Press Release

Tampa Man Pleads Guilty To Fraudulently Spending More Than $300,000 In COVID Relief Funds

Thursday, April 10, 2025

For Immediate Release

U.S. Attorney's Office, Middle District of Florida

Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe announces that Denys Perez (31, Tampa) has pleaded guilting to wire fraud related to COVID relief funds. Perez faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison. In addition, he faces a forfeiture order of $502,900, as well as a forfeiture order for the property he purchased with proceeds of his offense. A sentencing date has not yet been set.

According to the plea agreement, between September 2021 and January 2022, Perez applied for COVID relief funds through the Small Business Administration’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program. Based on the information submitted by Perez, he was awarded $502,900 in EIDL funds. As part of the application process, Perez certified he would use all the EIDL proceeds solely as working capital to alleviate the economic injury caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Contrary to this certification, Perez fraudulently spent more than $300,000 of his EIDL on personal expenses, including the purchase of a house.

In May 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.

This case was investigated by the Small Business Administration - Office of Inspector General and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Merrilyn E. Hoenemeyer.

To report a COVID-related fraud scheme or suspicious activity, contact the National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) by calling the NCDF Hotline at 1-866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.

Updated April 11, 2025

Topics

Coronavirus

Disaster Fraud

Financial Fraud

Component

USAO - Florida, Middle

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