Broward man pleads guilty to $1 million in COVID relief fraud
FORT LAUDERDALE - A 24-year-old Broward County man pleaded guilty to committing bank fraud and identity theft as a scheme to fraudulently obtain more than $1 million in COVID-19 relief loans and unemployment compensation payments.
On Friday, Conrad Brandon Bernard entered a guilty plea in federal court in Fort Lauderdale, which is part of the Southern District of Florida.
In all, Bernard fraudulently obtained $1,083,340 in Economic Injury Disaster Loan program funds and unemployment benefits, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
Bernard is scheduled to be sentenced on Feb. 5, 2025, before U.S. District Judge William P. Dimitrouleas. He faces up to 30 years in prison for the bank fraud convictions, to be followed by a mandatory consecutive term of two years in prison for the aggravated identity theft conviction.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the EIDL program provided loan assistance to small businesses and other eligible entities. The U.S. Department of Labor's unemployment insurance programs were created to provide unemployment benefits to eligible workers.
From around May 2020 to about December 2022, Bernard defrauded the EIDL and unemployment insurance programs, according to prosecutors.
Bernard fraudulently applied for 14 EIDLs using the name and personal identifying information of other individuals without their knowledge or consent, prosecutors said.
After the U.S. Small Business Association approved the fraudulent loan applications, EIDL funds were transferred to various bank Bernard used with the name other individuals without their knowledge or consent.
Bernard then transferred those funds to other accounts under his control including various accounts he created using the name of other individuals without their knowledge or consent.
Bernard also transferred or withdrew fraudulently obtained unemployment benefit funds from bank accounts he opened and operated using the name of other individuals without their knowledge or consent, DOJ said. Unemployment benefits were paid from several states, including West Virginia and Arizona.
Law enforcement also discovered that Bernard possessed numerous false identifications, including counterfeit passport cards, Florida driver's licenses and identification cards.
The U.S. Department of State's Diplomatic Security Service and Broward Sheriff's Office investigated the case.
On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General Merrick Garland established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice with agencies to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud.
On Sept. 15, 2022, Attorney General Merrick Garland selected the Southern District of Florida's U.S. Attorney's Office to head one of three national COVID-19 Fraud Strike Force Teams.
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 Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.