Image: Department of Justice (D.O.J.)     COLUMBIA, S.C. (WOLO)– A Houston, Texas man was charged in the District of South Carolina for his role in a national fraud scheme related to the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act’s Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). According to evidence presented in court, 27-year-old Jacob Liticker is accused of leading a scheme that submitted 86 fraudulent PPP loan applications for himself and others, many of whom resided in South Carolina. Officials say the scheme resulted in more than $870,000 in fraudulent PPP loans being issued to recipients who were not entitled to the pandemic relief funds. And also, that Liticker attempted to obtain more by requesting nearly $1.8 million in fraudulent PPP loans. Liticker is also accused of drafting PPP loan applications that falsely claimed businesses suffered financial harm as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. He is also accused of manufacturing false and fraudulent documents submitted with the applications, submitting the loan applications himself, tracking the progress of the loans, and helping co-conspirators obtain full forgiveness for the loans. The DOJ says in exchange for his services, Liticker received a portion of the fraudulently obtained funds.  Liticker was sentenced to two years in federal prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud which is to be followed by three years of court-ordered supervision and ordered him to pay $807,990.09 in restitution to the Small Business Administration.  “Jacob Liticker’s sentencing should stand as a clear warning to those who seek to prey upon and defraud government programs,” says Special Agent in Charge Christopher Dillard, Department of Defense Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS), Mid-Atlantic Field Office. During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Congress authorized the PPP program to provide emergency economic relief to businesses suffering economic harm during and as a result of the pandemic. On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. For more information on the Department’s response to the pandemic, visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus. Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form. “Every dollar defrauded from the PPP program represents money stolen from legitimate businesses who needed support during a difficult time in our country,” said Adair Ford Boroughs, U.S. Attorney for the District of South Carolina. Categories: Local News Tags: South Carolina Department of Justice