Former North Texas Resident Sinoj Joseph Indicted For COVID-19 Relief Fraud
COLLIN COUNTY (CBSDFW.COM) — The Department of Justice in Texas announced Friday that a former Collin County resident is facing federal charges for his alleged involvement in a COVID-19 scheme.
Officials say Sinoj Joseph has been charged related to his alleged participation in a scheme to file fraudulent loan applications seeking millions of dollars in Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans guaranteed under the CARES Act.
Joseph, 42, was charged in an indictment filed in the Eastern District of Texas with seven counts of wire fraud and three counts of making false statements to a bank.
The indictment alleges that Joseph submitted fraudulent applications for over $3 million in PPP loans. In the applications, the former McKinney resident allegedly fabricated payroll records, including the number of employees working for his companies and the amounts of his payroll costs.
The indictment also alleges that Joseph submitted fraudulent documentation in support of his applications. If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in federal prison for the wire fraud charges and up to 30 years in federal prison for making false statements to a bank.
"This indictment is the latest installment in our District's efforts to hold accountable those who perpetrate fraud on the Paycheck Protection Program," said Acting U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
Click here for more information on the Department's response to the pandemic.
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.