A man from Kaysville has been sentenced for running a scheme that stole $392,900 using COVID fraud, identity theft, wire fraud, and state unemployment benefits fraud.
Mubarak Ukashat, 38, pleaded guilty to failure to file currency and other monetary instruments reports. He was sentenced to two years in prison, and he will also have to pay back the money he stole and an additional $101,000 in forfeiture.
In 2020, he was a graduate student at Utah State University, and he was also the president of the USU Student Association (USUSA) Muslim Student Club.
Between June 2020 and July 2020, he fraudulently obtained $333,900 in Economic Injury Disaster Loans by submitting four loan applications to the U.S. Small Business Association. He used the names and social security numbers of four random but real people in the applications.
After receiving the loans, he wire transferred the money to the USUSA Muslim Student Club bank account, which he had control over as the club president, and again moved the proceeds to another bank account, a joint account he held with a relative. He then used the funds for “unauthorized personal expenses,” according to a press release from the District of Utah U.S. Attorney’s Office. --->READ MORE HERE
Emanuel Tucker, 45, of Canyon Lake, spent the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic helping himself to millions meant for struggling businesses, federal prosecutors say. Over a two-year span, Tucker and his co-conspirators submitted dozens of fraudulent loan applications through the Small Business Administration’s Paycheck Protection Program and Economic Injury Disaster Loan program, ultimately securing about $15.9 million in taxpayer-backed funds, according to court records.
Rather than using the money to support legitimate businesses, authorities say Tucker spent the relief funds on luxury cars, including a Cadillac Escalade, a Bentley Continental, and a Ferrari F8 Tributo. He also purchased multiple million-dollar homes and high-end jewelry, including a $63,000 diamond ring and a $400,000 diamond necklace.
Tucker pleaded guilty this week to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and bank fraud, the Justice Department announced. Prosecutors said the loan applications contained false information about payroll, revenue, and other business details, and involved companies Tucker controlled.
Federal officials described the scheme as a serious breach of public trust. “The defendant’s egregious scheme relied on layers of deception to steal taxpayer money to buy himself luxury vehicles, residential properties, and jewelry,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “The Criminal Division remains dedicated to holding fraudsters who steal from the public fisc to account for their greed.” --->READ MORE HEREFollow links below to relevant/related stories and resources:
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