Nearly $54,166 in COVID Relief Loans: Desjon Burke Pleads Guilty to Wire Fraud, Faces Up to 20 Years, Sentencing Set for February 3, 2027
LAS VEGAS, Nev. — The U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Nevada announced that Desjon Antione Lang Burke, who resides in Las Vegas, Nevada, and Los Angeles, California, pleaded guilty to a scheme to defraud the Small Business Administration (SBA) out of nearly $54,166 in Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) money he was not entitled to receive.
According to court documents, from about January 18, 2021, to about August 23, 2022, Burke fraudulently submitted an application for an EIDL loan to the SBA and two applications for PPP loans to a non-bank direct commercial lender. The applications contained false and fraudulent information, including that Burke was the sole proprietor of a non-profit agricultural business that did not exist, that the business employed 10 people, which it did not, and false information regarding the business revenue received and costs incurred by the non-existent company. On April 13, 2021, Burke submitted an application for a PPP loan with a fake Schedule C form for tax year 2019.
Burke pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud. The maximum statutory penalty is 20 years in prison. Sentencing is scheduled for February 3, 2027, before Chief United States District Judge Andrew P. Gordon.
First Assistant United States Attorney Sigal Chattah for the District of Nevada said prosecutors will never tolerate thieves who stole from the American people during one of the most painful crises in the nation's history, calling the case a warning that pandemic fraud is still being tracked down. Special Agent in Charge Christopher S. Delzotto of the FBI Las Vegas Field Office said abusing federal programs supporting small businesses is intolerable and that the FBI remains steadfast in investigating anyone who attempts to defraud government programs created to keep businesses afloat.
The case was investigated by the FBI, the SBA Office of Inspector General, and the Federal Reserve Board-CFPB Office of Inspector General. Assistant United States Attorney Kimberly Frayn is prosecuting the case.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：美国司法部总部大楼（资料图）。美国司法部官方照片，公共领域。 / The U.S. Department of Justice headquarters (file photo). U.S. Department of Justice photo, public domain.
