Julio Lugo (44) and Roseand Vint (37), both from Davenport, FL are accused of conspiring and making false statements to a financial institution. Lugo has also been charged with an illegal cash deal related to the unlawful use of coronavirus relief money to pay for a note on a luxury car purchased, during the plot if found guilty, Lugo faces a maximum sentence of 45 years in federal prison; Venant faces up to 35 years in prison.
According to the complaint, starting in March 2020 or around March 2020, Lugo and Venant have conspired to defraud the Small Business Administration (“SBA”) with millions of dollars in coronavirus relief money. Lugo and Venant have used their home IP address to submit at least 70 fraudulent and fraudulent loan applications to obtain funds from the Payment Check Protection Program (“PPP”) and the Economic Disaster Loan Program (“EIDL”). Fraudulent loan applications requested more than $ 5.8 million, including shell companies created by Lugo, Venant, and their relatives. The conspirators also secured coronavirus relief money for the defunct tax preparation company Lugo previously used to commit tax fraud in or around 2015. Once in obtaining emergency loans, the conspirators abused PPP and EIDL funds to pay for a luxury car. , Spending more than $ 62,000 in casinos and for other personal purposes. In addition, the conspirators withdrew no less than $ 320,000 in cash. Lugo revealed the misuse of SBA money in a Facebook video showing a hotel room filled with $ 100 bills and at least $ 5,000 in Louis Vuitton merchandise.
The Coronavirus Relief, Relief, and Economic Security Act (“CARES”) is a federal law enacted in March 2020. It is designed to provide emergency financial assistance to millions of Americans suffering from the economic impacts of the COVID pandemic. -19. One of the sources of relief the CARES Act provides is authorizing up to $ 349 billion in forgivableable loans for small businesses to keep jobs and other expenses through a public-private partnership. In April 2020, Congress authorized more than $ 300 billion in additional APP funding. In response to COVID-19, small business owners, including agricultural companies and nonprofits in every US state, Washington DC and territories, are also applying for loans and grants through the COVID-19 EIDL program.
A complaint is simply a formal charge that the defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and each defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
This case was investigated by the FBI and Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation, Tampa Field Office. They will be tried by Assistant Attorney General Christine A. Fury and Susan Nepski.
