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Florida Bulldog

Dozens of Broward Sheriff’s deputies face indictment in burgeoning PPP loan fraud case

By Dan Christensen, FloridaBulldog.org

Update Oct. 12 – Broward Sheriff’s employees, including sworn deputies and civilians, began turning themselves in this morning to face impending federal fraud charges involving the theft of hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions of dollars in loans from the COVID-19 Paycheck Protection Program. Dozens of BSO employees are expected to be indicted later today. Federal prosecutors have scheduled a press conference for this afternoon.

The unprecedented surrender of what insiders expect to be 50 to 70 BSO employees prompted the sheriff to close BSO headquarters building at 2601 W. Broward Boulevard. Parking spaces were roped off; orange traffic cones were set up at the building’s entrance.

Oct. 11 – Dozens of Broward Sheriff’s Office employees alleged to have fraudulently obtained large loans under the federal COVID-19 Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) are facing an impending indictment that knowledgeable sources said could come any day.

Those involved are said to be mostly from the ranks of BSO deputies and detention deputies, and include ranking officers. Sheriff Gregory Tony is not a target, one source said.

“Anywhere from 50 to 70 guys is the rumor spreading around over here,” said one BSO deputy who, like others interviewed for this story, spoke on condition of anonymity. “Fifteen or 20 are law enforcement and the rest are jailers and, you know, civilians.”

No names were immediately available, but many at BSO who stand accused before a federal grand jury already have been suspended, sources said.

ppp
Broward Sheriff Gregory Tony

Rank-and-file deputies that Florida Bulldog spoke with are “disgusted” by the alleged criminal behavior of their colleagues. “For a while after [the] Parkland [school shooting] they called us the ‘cowards of Broward.’ Now, we’re the thieves of Broward,” said one deputy. “Guys literally had to take their badges off to go and eat lunch because of our reputation during Parkland…We’re supposed to be better than this.”

U.S. FRAUD STRIKE FORCE

The ongoing federal investigation is spearheaded by the South Florida U.S. Attorney’s Office’s pandemic relief fraud strike force, which has charged numerous business persons and professionals with PPP fraud. But PPP fraud committed by state and local law-enforcement officers who have private businesses on the side has become a principal focus of the strike force.

This year alone task force prosecutors have obtained guilty pleas involving hundreds of thousands of dollars in misappropriated funds from a former Miami-Dade Corrections sergeant, a former Miami-Dade police officer, a former Miami police officer and a former correctional officer with the Florida Department of Corrections.

Another such defendant, Immigration and Customs Enforcement contract detention officer Anthony Faustin, 28, of Homestead, pleaded guilty Sept. 19 to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft as part of a scheme in which he submitted fraudulent PPP loan applications on behalf of six individuals in 2021. In the loan paperwork, Faustin made the applicants appear eligible for pandemic relief by misrepresenting them as sole proprietors or lying about their prior years’ income or both. Lenders disbursed over $100,000 to bank accounts controlled by the individuals, who then withdrew the money and gave Faustin his cut, the government said.

U.S. District Judge Rodolfo Ruiz

Faustin faces up to 20 years in prison and a fine of $250,000 at sentencing before Miami U.S. District Judge Rodolfo Ruiz on Dec. 7.

The impending mass indictment does not appear to capture all of the PPP cases now being assembled against BSO deputies. A Broward attorney interviewed Tuesday by Florida Bulldog said he represents one BSO detention deputy that is accused in another PPP scheme, but that his client’s case is “independent” of the mass indictment.

PPP ACT FRAUD

The PPP was a $950 billion low-interest business loan program established as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) signed into law by President Trump to help various businesses and the self-employed to continue to pay their workers during the worst months of the pandemic. The loans could be partially or fully forgiven if businesses accepting the loans kept their employee count and wages stable. The program, administered by the Small Business Administration (SBA), ended May 31, 2021.

Fraudsters, however, took advantage of the program. In June, the SBA reported that over the course of the pandemic it disbursed a total of $1.2 trillion in both PPP and COVID-19 Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL). EIDL loans were intended to provide small businesses with both working capital and operating funds.

“In the rush to swiftly disburse COVID-19 EIDL and PPP funds, SBA calibrated its internal controls. The agency weakened or removed the controls necessary to prevent fraudsters from easily gaining access to these programs and provide assurance that only eligible entities received funds. However, the allure of ‘easy money’ in this pay and chase environment attracted an overwhelming number of fraudsters to the programs,” the SBA reported.

“We estimate that SBA disbursed over $200 billion in potentially fraudulent COVID-19 EIDLs, EIDL Targeted Advances, Supplemental Targeted Advances, and PPP loans. This means at least 17 percent of all COVID-19 EIDL and PPP funds were disbursed to potentially fraudulent actors.”

The report says that SBA’s Office of Inspector General, the U.S Secret Service and other federal agencies and financial institutions have so far recovered nearly $30 billion of those misspent funds.

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Comments

22 responses to “Dozens of Broward Sheriff’s deputies face indictment in burgeoning PPP loan fraud case”

  1. Edward Crespo Avatar

    It seems the Bulldog has no problem exposing crooked, corrupt Broward County cops in the Sheriff’s Office, but despite clear and convincing evidence, REFUSES to expose the prejudiced, corrupt judges in the 17th Judicial Circuit Court Court, including Chief judge, Jack Tuter. I wonder why?

  2. Friends from Philly Avatar
    Friends from Philly

    How is it these employees get charged with lying on applications while Greg Ton/Toney goes free for the same type of thing? Seems a bit double standard and a good argument they will make.

  3. Jill Aronofsky Avatar

    What about members of Congress that also enjoyed these loans. Why aren’t they prosecuted too. Where are their names in the “Hall Of Shame”

  4. Sheriff Gregory looks very angry!

  5. Are people of color involved?

  6. Dr Judy Meissner Avatar
    Dr Judy Meissner

    Broward remains the most corrupt county in the state of Florida. Broward judges, mayors, commissioners, sheriff officers and state attorney should all be sent to prison for the crooks that they are.

  7. Richard Glukstad Avatar
    Richard Glukstad

    The USA is in the Golden Age of Schmucks and Schmegegges. Is there any hope for the Gonifs? ?

    Schmuck, or shmuck, is a pejorative term meaning one who is stupid or foolish, or an obnoxious, contemptible or detestable person. The word came into the English language from Yiddish (Yiddish: שמאָק, shmok), where it has similar pejorative meanings, but where its literal meaning is a vulgar term for a penis.

    Schmegegge – Definition, Meaning & Synonyms | Vocabulary.com
    Definitions of schmegegge. (Yiddish) baloney; hot air; nonsense. synonyms: shmegegge. type of: bunk, hokum, meaninglessness, nonsense, nonsensical.

    a thief, swindler/ Gonif
    (ˈɡɑnəf) noun. slang. a thief, swindler, crook, or rascal; ganef. Also: goniff

  8. Rotten from the top down?

  9. Edward Crespo Avatar

    Dr. Meissner is absolutely correct! For several YEARS I have done everything possible to expose the judicial corruption in the 17th Judicial Circuit Court. So far, the media, including the Florida Bulldog, has clearly shown their FEAR of these bullshit judges! But the Bulldog had NO problem contacting me when I commented on an article they published a while back on Trump’s lawyers, when I revealed that I used to work for one of them!

    I have SO MUCH solid, irrefutable evidence of judicial prejudice, misconduct and corruption in the Broward County courts! Court records don’t LIE! Civil rights violations, rulings which CLEARLY depart from the essential requirements of law, FAILING to impose disciplinary sanctions against “Big Business” lawyers who BLATANTLY violate the rules of professional conduct and civil procedure during proceedings, hi-jacking cases filed by pro se litigants, it goes on and on!

    One judge, JOHN B. BOWMAN, was accused of child sexual abuse of an 11 year old boy…but the Plantation Police Dept. NEVER conducted an investigation! Now HOW did that happen?

    And yet despite my offer to provide the Florida Bulldog with PROOF of my allegations, they’re NOT interested! Prejudiced, corrupt judges should be REMOVED from the bench and prosecuted if any of their actions constituted criminal conduct! THAT INCLUDES CHIEF JUDGE, JACK TUTER!

  10. Maybe the Feds will quietly slide The Top Dogs indictment in there too if they’re going to arrest other African American employees get him too

  11. Remember, YOU ALL are the ones who vote these people in, then you’re upset when they steal or pass some shady land deal. Yet on the next ballot they still vote the same person back in. PPP loans, come on, the real crimes are happening with the bigger names, but they’ll keep making a name off of US in the mean time. Watch how this plays out.

  12. these dudes are so corrupt wanna bet only officers of color get in trouble. my buddy who is hispanic got the boot a few years back for giving his work shoes to his dad and the white dude who was using the boat and spending department money to entertain his family still working. shoes cost 30 bucks gas is hundreds.

  13. We have all learned, I should say anyone who is a Democrat, has learned that anything having to do with Trump is going to be covered up. He has so much money, and he pays all of the suckers out there to cover up anything he does. Be it a judge a lawyer, a reporter or whatever. Even a redneck is going to cover up and believe anything, he said. Even went so far they tried to overtake the capital. I hope this time someone has the strength the balls and the courage to take this man to prison and make him serve life for what he has done to this nation. He’s even supporting the Russians with the Ukraine war.
    I bet he’s supporting the Hamas with what they’ve done recently. Trump is mental and dangerous and you have courage my friend to print what you did.

  14. […] to Florida Bulldog investigative reporter Dan Christensen, between 50 and 70 BSO employees will soon be charged […]

  15. It’s starts from the top. The sheriff seems to get away with his fraudulent LEO applications, his lies and omissions, without consequences. Why should his employees feel different? If the sheriff gets away with it why not the staff.

  16. Brenda, Get a life woman.

  17. Concerned Citizen 1 Avatar
    Concerned Citizen 1

    Drop the “mic” Edward Crespo! When these Broward County judges are sworn in, they take a “POLITCAL” OATH, not the oath of upholding the law; JUSTICE IN BROWARD COUNTY IS POLITICAL, NOT BLIND. As for your comments Brenda, NOT surprising that here it is, being reported about the corruption, theft, and unethical behavior of BSO DEPUTIES (AMONG OTHERS), and you’re talking about TRUMP…PATHETIC!!! MAYBE THE ETHICS COMMISSION (BECAUSE WE KNOW DESANTIS WON’T) WILL FINALLY HAVE “THE STRENGTH, COURAGE AND BALLS” TO TERMINATE YOUR CURRENT SHERIFF TONY/TONEY; THE MURDERER. LSD USER, AND PERJURER ON NUMEROUS POLICE APPLICATIONS…I GUESS (ACCORDING TO PJ), IF HE WERE A “WHITE DUDE,” SHERIFF IT WOULD BE OK; SINCE TONY/TONEY IS BLACK, THAT’S WHY THEY’RE GOING AFTER HIM; THINGS THAT MAKE YOU GO HMMMM…Aaaaad he’s running for reelection again…JUST SAYING. READ A REAL NEWSPAPER BRENDA (NOT THE SCUM SENTINEL) AND WATCH A REAL NEWS STATION, NOT CNN ((CORRUPT/CLINTON NEWS NETWORK!) As for your comments “PJ,” here we go again, playing the “RACE CARD;” DISGUSTING.
    “PAUL, well said…the voters put these ppl in office, then complain; then reelect them AGAIN. I’VE SAID IN PREVIOUS COMMENTS AND WILL SAY IT AGAIN (AS DID DR. MEISSNER), BROWARD COUNTY IS THE MOST CORRUPT COUNTY IN THE STATE OF FLORIDA!

  18. Trump is presumed innocent. The demo s have to make the case.

  19. You’ve got a homicidal, pathological, blue panty wearing, drug abusing liar running that cesspool BSO. . Hopefully the Feds will pick up one of several open Federal cases Lynx has already committed, and throw him in jail with his criminal staff. To see that big ugly hypocrite turd standing at the podium badmouthing people for doing less than he has done makes me want to throw up in my mouth. The stench from Toneys office is disgusting and he continues to get off shot free. Hope the voters of Broward are proud.

  20. Kevin A Bolling Avatar
    Kevin A Bolling

    Good Day,
    Thank you to the Florida Bulldog Newspaper, I find that your facts are accurate and try and hold politicians accountable. The problem seems to be the backstabbing and blaming of people who stand up is very troubling.

    Broward County Sheriff’s Office was once the greatest agency in the country. Leadership, integrity, and teamwork made us proud. Working as public servants and our families sometimes came after serving the community that was proud of us.
    Bad politicians were held accountable and were reported for corrective action was taken. Sheriff Ken Jenne was a hold everyone accountable kind of man, and he went to prison after people he trusted steered him down a dark path. As powerful as he was in the political world he owned his mistake served his time in prison came out humble and has earned my respect again. Other Than Al Lamberti since Jenne’s removal from office integrity has been lacking, Al Lamberti and Nick Navarro, I believe led public servants by example. They like Al Pollack (candidate for Sheriff of Broward County 2024) held staff accountable demanded the community come first, and enjoyed the hunt of criminals to make Broward safe.
    As far as Sheriff Isreal lied and held one person accountable for the MSD shooting, and it wasn’t the shooter. Seven days after the MSD shooting Isreal made false comments about his honorable SRD and it cost him (Isreal) his job. Governor Desantis removed him from office for what I believe was a political favor.
    During the Criminal prosecuting and grandstanding the shooter received a life sentence because the truth was made up and OVER prosecuted so that the retiring State Attorney could make his last BIG PAYCHECK. the sh*tbag had 200 witnesses, video of the killings, and a signed and taped confession. Shame on the whole system, you owe the victims an apology at least and should resign in shame, but your egos will not allow that.
    The Honorable retired Scot Peterson should be given his retirement credentials and his final paycheck, which was held because of the lying and scapegoating. The taxpayers will again be paying for the legal fees and back pay with interest.

  21. Kevin A Bolling Avatar
    Kevin A Bolling

    Al Pollock for Broward Sheriff.

  22. […] Florida Bulldog, an online nonprofit news outlet, first reported that many Broward sheriff’s deputies were under federal investigation for loan […]

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