Feds charge 3 more in massive South Florida COVID loan fraud scheme

MIAMI – Federal prosecutors introduced Thursday that 3 more Miami-area citizens are becoming a member of more than a dozen others in going through fees in a massive COVID-19 aid fraud scheme.

Heidi Cid, 54, Lazaro Verdecia Hernandez, 36, and Yadier Rodriguez Arteaga, 38, are going through fees of conspiracy to dedicate twine fraud, twine fraud, conspiracy to dedicate cash laundering and cash laundering.

They may all face more than twenty years in jail. Prosecutors accuse them of profiting from the Paycheck Protection Program.

Prosecutors accuse the 3 of filing fraudulent PPP loan programs, “misrepresenting the number of the companies’ employees to make the businesses appear eligible for pandemic relief.”

Lenders dispensed more than $14.5 million to financial institution accounts managed by means of co-conspirators, “who allegedly would then withdraw the money and give Cid, Verdecia Hernandez, and Rodriguez Arteaga a portion of the proceeds,” prosecutors stated.

The 3 have seemed in entrance of a federal Justice of the Peace pass judgement on in Miami.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, the next Miami-area citizens have already pleaded in charge for his or her involvement in the scheme:

• Barbara Alvarez

  - Advertisement -

• Giraldo Caraballo

• Kenia Carrillo

• Alfredo Contrera

• Leonardo Gonzalez Lopez

• Lester Hedman Safont

• Roberto Lopez

• Felix Martinez

• Honolio Navarro-Caballero

• Yailin Perez

• Osiel Rodriguez Furgel

• Oreste Ruiz Linares

• Nancy Saavedra Torres

• Yoliesse Sarmiento Carrion

• Jorge Trueba Lopez

Another Miami-area defendant, Nancy Bahos Serna, has made her preliminary look in federal court docket, in line with prosecutors.

Two more alleged co-conspirators, Javier Pico, of Miami, and Erisbel Gonzalez Gomez, of Palm Beach County, were charged however are regarded as to be fugitives.

Prosecutors requested any person with information about COVID-19 aid fraud to name the DOJ’s National Center for Disaster Fraud hotline at 866-720-5721.