Willoughby Hills Man Sentenced for His Part in $7 Million COVID-19 Relief Fraud Scheme Fraud
Summary
A press release of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Ohio dated Thursday, May 25, 2023, announcing that Aydin Kalantarov, 38, of Willoughby Hills was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Pamela A. Barker to 33 months in prison and 3 years of supervised release after pleading guilty to defrauding the Small Business Administration of approximately $1.2 million in Economic Injury Disaster Loans. According to the release, from May 2020 through October 2020 he and his brothers, Zaur Kalantarli and Ali Kalantarli, conspired to obtain nearly $7 million in EIDL loans. It states that they created 70 fictitious Ohio corporations with agriculture-sounding names such as Ohio Almonds and Peanuts.
Summary drafted by a model from the document's text below 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
Full text
Press Release Willoughby Hills Man Sentenced for His Part in $7 Million COVID-19 Relief Fraud Scheme Fraud Thursday, May 25, 2023 For Immediate Release U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of Ohio CLEVELAND – Aydin Kalantarov, 38, of Willoughby Hills, Ohio, was sentenced yesterday to 33 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Pamela A. Barker, after he pleaded guilty to defrauding the Small Business Administration (“SBA”) of approximately $1.2 million in Economic Injury Disaster Loan (“EIDL”) program under Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (“CARES”) Act. Kalantarov was also sentenced to 3 years of supervised release, a $200 special assessment, and agreed to pay up to $1.2 million in restitution. According to court documents, from May 2020 through October 2020, Kalantarov, along with his two brothers, Zaur Kalantarli and Ali Kalantarli, conspired to defraud the SBA of nearly $7 million in EIDL loans. As part of the scheme the brothers created 70 fictious Ohio corporations with agriculture sounding names, such as “Ohio Almonds and Peanuts” and “Ohio Organic Carrots”. Once the fictitious corporations were created, the brothers submitted fraudulent EIDL loan applications to the SBA claiming that their business was adversely affected by the pandemic. The SBA funded 47 of the applications for a total of approximately $7 million. Kalantarov personally received $1.2 million in fraud loan proceeds. He used most of his funds to purchase a house in California. Zaur Kalantarli and Ali Kalantarli remain at large. The investigation was conducted by the U.S. Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (“TIGTA”), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), Cleveland, the IRS Criminal Investigation (“IRS-CI”), the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of Inspector General (“USDA-OIG), and the Small Business Administration, Office of Inspector General (“SBAOIG”). This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brad J. Beeson. Contact Thomas Weldon Thomas.Weldon@usdoj.gov (216) 622-3651 Updated May 25, 2023 Topics Coronavirus Financial Fraud Components Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) USAO - Ohio, Northern Related Content Press Release Former Registered Broker Sentenced to Prison for Wire Fraud Thomas H. Hissong, 58, of Akron, Ohio, was sentenced Friday to 12 months and a day in prison by U.S. District Solomon Oliver, Jr. after Hissong pleaded guilty to a... June 12, 2023 Press Release U.S. Law Enforcement Disrupts Networks Used to Transfer Fraud Proceeds, Taking Over 4,000 Actions in Fifth Campaign The Department of Justice, FBI, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and other federal law enforcement agencies announced today the completion of a three-month campaign that disrupted networks used by foreign fraudsters... May 22, 2023 Press Release Norwalk Business Owners Sentenced To Prison For Fraud Scheme Gerald E. Reichert, age 65, and Adam M. Reichert, age 36, were sentenced by Judge Jack Zouhary of the Northern District of Ohio, Western Division, on April 6, 2023, following... April 6, 2023
File and source
- File
- usao-ndoh-pr-willoughby-hills-man-sentenced-his-part-7-million-covid-19-relief-fraud-scheme-fraud.html
- Size
- 121,176 bytes
- SHA-256
- 8db2536653aaf38e3a5f1d63d11089218bb255d9046ea24c40bb34ca144d1863
- Original
- www.justice.gov