Former Howell man gets 16 years in prison for bilking $3.75M in COVID funds

A erstwhile Howell antheral who admitted to bilking the authorities retired of $3.75 cardinal successful funds acceptable up to assistance tiny businesses struggling during the COVID-19 pandemic has been sentenced to 16 years successful prison.

Kevin Aguilar, 54, was sentenced April 23 by U.S. District Judge Michael A. Shipp successful national tribunal successful Trenton aft pleading blameworthy successful October to each 15 counts of an indictment: 1 number of conspiracy to prosecute successful slope fraud, 7 counts of slope fraud, 1 number of conspiracy to prosecute successful ligament fraud, 3 counts of ligament fraud, 1 number of conspiracy involving an unlawful transaction, one number of making an unlawful transaction and 1 number of aggravated individuality theft.

At the opening of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Economic Injury Disaster Loan and the Payroll Protection programs were acceptable up to manus retired loans to distressed tiny businesses for occupation retention, rent and different expenses. The short-term, low-interest loans were forgivable if businesses spent a definite percent connected payroll and spent the wealth connected each the targeted expenses wrong a circumstantial period.

Between April 2020 and May 2021, Aguilar conspired to taxable 7 bogus payroll extortion applications and 3 fraudulent catastrophe indebtedness applications connected behalf of 4 businesses: Showtime Trucking, Showtime TTR XPO, TTS Terminal Corp. and American Consolidated Freightways Corp. He and his co-defendant, Jean E. Rabbitt, whom helium lived with, received $3.3 cardinal from the payroll extortion money and $450,000 from the catastrophe indebtedness program, authorities said.

Rabbitt pleaded blameworthy successful February. A sentencing day has not yet been scheduled.More: Manalapan mates accused of Medicaid fraud and evading taxes connected $4.5 million

The wealth was sent to assorted sham payroll companies owned and controlled by Aguilar, according to tribunal documents. The funds were past spent connected a $100,000 truck, spot successful Texas and idiosyncratic expenses, authorities said.

Certain signs of fraud showed up successful the indebtedness applications, according to the affidavit of probable cause. Rabbitt claimed to person employed 36 employees successful 1 of the 4 companies, a fig that didn’t alteration from 4th to quarter, and each were paid the aforesaid wage of $23,275, the affidavit said. The fig of hours each worked was the aforesaid from 4th to quarter, records show.Ken Serrano covers crime, breaking quality and investigations. Reach him astatine 732-643-4029 oregon astatine [email protected].

This nonfiction primitively appeared connected Asbury Park Press: Former Howell antheral 16 years successful situation for stealing COVID funds