Man Charged with Fraudulent COVID Trucking Loan
A Florida man has been indicted on multiple charges for allegedly stealing the identification information of his deceased business partner to secure COVID-19 business loans from the government.
A Florida man has been indicted on multiple charges for allegedly stealing the identification information of his deceased business partner to secure COVID-19 business loans from the government.
Stephen L. Gurba, 68, faces charges of wire fraud, making false statements to a financial institution, and aggravated identity theft, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida.
The Scheme:
Between March and June 2020, Gurba allegedly submitted fraudulent loan applications on behalf of Big Red Express Trucking, LLC, and Zenith Express, LLC.
During this process, he is accused of assuming the identity of his former business partner, who passed away in 2019, and using the partner's name, signature, and other identifying information on the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) applications while certifying under penalty of law that the information was accurate.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office alleges that Gurba forged his deceased partner's signature on loan applications and continued to impersonate him to persuade the Small Business Administration (SBA) to approve the loans for the trucking companies.
