W.Va. Man Part Of DOJ Crackdown On COVID-Era Fraud

A Charleston man is facing up to ten years in prison for his role in a scheme to defraud the Small Business Administration’s COVID-era Paycheck Protection Program.  

Nicholas Kind of Charleston pled guilty to theft of public money last month, admitting he submitted a fraudulent application for COVID-19 relief funds. His is one of 33 criminal convictions for COVID-19 fraud prosecuted through the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia.  

“The whole-of-government crackdown on fraud is delivering decisive results, and the SBA surge demonstrates that our commitment is only strengthening,” U.S. Attorney Moore Capito said. “Our office has secured 33 criminal convictions for COVID-19 fraud and more than $5.1 million in restitution. We will continue to root out pandemic-era fraud wherever it exists, hold every offender accountable, and bring those responsible to justice.” 

From mid-June through early September, the Justice Department’s Operation No Doze targeted fraud stemming from the Paycheck Protection Program, a federal loan meant to keep small businesses alive – and paychecks flowing – at the height of the pandemic.  

Across the nation, the crackdown led to criminal charges against more than 160 defendants involving roughly $245 million in taxpayer funds.