Feds arrest 2 men in first fraud case involving PPP loan program for small businesses hurt by coronavirus | USA Today

Two men in New England have been arrested for trying to get thousands of dollars out of the federal Payment Protection Program. The PPP is a loan designed to help businesses pay their employees during the coronavirus crisis. The chief of the U.S. Justice Department’s Criminal Division has commented that more cases are likely to be discovered in the future as criminals work to take advantage of the loans amidst the confusion. “What we see coming out of Rhode Island is what’s happening across the country,” stated Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski. David A. Staveley and David Butziger have been charged with conspiring to seek forgivable loans guaranteed by the Small Business Administration that totaled around $544,000.

Source: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2020/05/05/coronavirus-first-fraud-case-involving-ppp-small-business-program/3085676001/