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Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Ex-Hanford worker sentenced for COVID loan fraud for solar-powered wheelchair idea
A Kennewick man has been sentenced to a year and a day in prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud to obtain money through federal COVID-19 relief programs. David 'Kurt' Schneider, who wanted money to develop a solar-powered wheelchair, also is required to repay nearly $122,000 to the federal government. He was one of three people in the federal court case accused of fraudulently obtaining at least $292,000 in Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act, or CARES Act, funding in 2020 and 2021. Kelly Jo Driver, 43, of South Carolina, pleaded guilty to fraudulent claims and was sentenced to five years of probation but no incarceration after preparing falsified documents for Schneider and the owner of a Tri-Cities gun shop to submit with their loan applications. She also is jointly responsible with Schneider for repaying the money. Leif Gerard Larsen, the owner of Larsen Firearms in Pasco, has pleaded guilty to wire fraud and is scheduled to be sentenced July 30 in the Yakima County Courthouse. 'By stealing nearly $300,000 intended for legitimate businesses, these defendants diverted critical resources at a time when many businesses were fighting to survive,' said Rich Barker, the acting U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Washington. The CARES Act was intended to provide emergency financial assistance to the millions of Americans who were suffering the economic effects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The three defendants also applied for additional payments or loans of about $563,600, but those applications were rejected, according to court documents. They included Paycheck Protection Program loans to small businesses primarily to cover worker paychecks, which were eligible to be forgiven, with no money paid back. The program also offered low-interest Economic Injury Disaster loans Schneider applied for CARES Act loans for his businesses Solar Mobility, RealNZ Water and Tempest Tactical Solutions using documents created by Driver that falsified payroll information and federal tax forms to claim he had up to 10 employees. When Schneider was asked for bank records to confirm his payroll, he said that employees of Solar Mobility, his solar wheelchair company, had asked to be paid in cash during the pandemic. Schneider and Driver also falsely claimed that RealNZ Water, a company to sell water bottled in New Zealand, had 10 employees. The Washington Department of Revenue had no records of the company existing or reporting revenue and no wages were reported to the Washington state Employment Security Department, according to a court document. Court documents also said that his business Tempest Tactical Solutions had no business operations and had only been registered with the Washington State Secretary of State to apply for CARES Act money. The only revenue Schneider reported to the Department of Revenue in 2019 and 2020 were from his wages at a Hanford nuclear site job at the vitrification plant, according to a court document. Schneider was obsessed with the development of a solar wheelchair to be used by veterans, his attorney, Deric Orr, said in a court document. He sought a contract for his invention with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, thinking it would make his solar wheelchair a major success and help veterans. But he came to believe the agency was sabotaging his efforts, according to court documents. Schneider saw the loan money he falsely obtained as a way to keep his business afloat and to fight back against the perceived sabotage, his attorney said. Driver provided false documents to both Schneider and Larsen for loan applications and then received 10% of the proceeds, according to court documents. She urged the other defendants in the case to seek higher loan amounts, which also would net her more money, according to court documents filed by Eastern District of Washington U.S. Attorney's Office. Driver's attorney, Jennifer Barnes, argued that she had no criminal record and had a noncancerous tumor that could soon require treatment. Barnes asked for no incarceration. Schneider told Larsen he also could obtain loans under the CARES Act, which could be forgiven, using false payroll documents created by Driver, according to court documents. He and Driver submitted applications falsely claiming he had 10 employees at Larsen Firearms and Larsen Gunsmithing & Firearms, according to court documents. He withdrew one application after being interviewed by federal agents. He received a loan of nearly $150,000 for the other application, according to court documents. Larsen is scheduled to be sentenced July 30 in the Yakima U.S. Courthouse. The case was investigated by the Eastern District of Washington COVID-19 Fraud Strike Force, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Small Business Administration Office of Inspector General. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jeremy Kelley and Frieda Zimmerman. U.S. Judge Stanley Bastian in Yakima sentenced Schneider and Driver.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Bluefield woman pleads guilty to COVID-19 fraud scheme
BLUEFIELD, WV (WVNS) — A Bluefield woman pleaded guilty to a COVID-19 relief fraud scheme. According to a press release, 43-year-old April Elick, of Bluefield, pleaded guilty to the theft of government money on June 2, 2025. She obtained $84,000 in COVID-19 loans through the Small Business Association (SBA) under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, and used the funds for personal use. Elick is set to be sentenced on September 8, 2025, and faces a maximum of 10 years in prison, three years probation, and a $250,000 fine. She owes $97,802.59 in restitution, as well. Court documents and statements made in court stated that Elick received two Paycheck Protection Program loans (PPP) amounting to $14,520 in April 2021, after stating that the money was for her home healthcare business to cover payrolls and other expenses. She received an Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) amounting to $61,000 through the CARES Act in January 2022, and also increased the COVID-19 business loan by $8,700 in April 2022, the release stated. As part of her plea, Elick confessed that she knew she could use the proceeds only for things outlined in CARES Act programs, the release noted. Elick also stated that she used funds for personal expenses, such as withdrawing $30,560, an estimated $16,350 in digital wallet transfers, and $8,290.11 in purchases made in West Virginia, North Carolina, and Virginia. The CARES Act allowed for forgivable PPP loans to be used for eligible for impacted businesses and sole proprietors, independent contractors, and self-employed individuals, the release stated. It also approved the SBA to provide EIDL loans of up to $2 million for eligible small businesses that were experiencing substantial financial struggles. Acting United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston released the announcement and applauded the work of the WorkForce West Virginia Integrity Section, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Office of Inspector General (NASA OIG), the Litigation Financial Analyst with the U.S. Attorney's Office, and the West Virginia State Police — Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI). Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Newsweek
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Newsweek
DOJ Calls Transgender Man a 'Woman' Months After Trump Crackdown
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. A transgender man convicted of fraudulently collecting COVID funds has been referred to by the Department of Justice (DOJ) as a "woman" in official correspondence. Newsweek reached out to the DOJ for comment. Why It Matters President Donald Trump has been aggressive in tackling transgender policies and issues, with one of his first executive orders recognizing two sexes only—male and female—and stating that they are "not changeable." Along with banning transgender women from competing in women's sports, he has also greenlit a ban on transgender military members that currently is allowed by the U.S. Supreme Court. The Department of Justice seal and logo seen on a lectern at a news conference at the Department of Justice on May 6, 2025, in Washington, D.C. The Department of Justice seal and logo seen on a lectern at a news conference at the Department of Justice on May 6, 2025, in Washington, To Know A press release issued by the U.S. Attorney's Office of the Eastern District of Louisiana refers to Brandon Jarrow, 33, of New Orleans, as a "woman" and mentions former name Brandi Jarrow. On May 8, Jarrow pleaded guilty in federal court to stealing funds and making false statements to receive over $115,000 in loans as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act program that provided relief to individuals and small businesses during the pandemic. The CARES Act was signed into law by Trump in March 2020 to order the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) to dole out emergency assistance via the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and the Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) program. Jarrow's case stems back to the infancy of the pandemic. Charging documents show that on or about June 20, 2020, Jarrow submitted a false application to the SBA for an EIDL, leading to a loan worth $95,000. On February 4, 2021, Jarrow again made false statements to an approved lender for "another sham business," as described by DOJ, to obtain a $20,833 PPP loan. Though Trump's national approval rating has recently wavered, due in large part to economic turbulence, his stance on the transgender issue remains for the American public one of his most well-received initiatives. An Associated Press-NORC poll of 1,175 adults conducted between May 1 and 5 found that 52 percent of Americans approve of Trump's handling of transgender issues—higher than his job approval rating, which the poll measured at 41 percent. What People Are Saying Alithia Zamantakis, a research assistant professor in the Institute for Sexual and Gender Minority Health and Wellbeing at Northwestern University, told Newsweek that the DOJ correspondence is part of a broader theme within the current administration. "It's clear that the Trump administration continues to use anti-trans bigotry as a means to divide everyday people and to justify the administration's actions," Zamantakis said. "The administration has presented a caricature of trans people as fraudulent, a waste of government funds, and a harm to our society. Their reference to Brandon as a 'woman' only furthers that characterization." Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, reacting to a post about transgender treatments provided by the Pentagon, said on X, formerly Twitter, last month: "If this is true—we will find any way possible to stop it. Taxpayers should NEVER pay for this lunacy. As we stated—before a rogue judge blocked it—'service members with gender dysphoria are disqualified from military service.' Zero readiness reasons for trans troops." Maine's Democratic Governor Janet Mills said in a statement last month: "As I have said previously, this is not just about who can compete on the athletic field, this is about whether a president can force compliance with his will, without regard for the rule of law that governs our nation. I believe he cannot." J. Michael Bailey, a professor of psychology at Northwestern University, said in an opinion article for Newsweek: "Since his inauguration, President Donald Trump has signed a series of executive orders that respect biological reality in areas from medicine to sports to intimate spaces, and protect the right to speak about the harms of gender ideology. These orders, including the most recent one, issued February 5, honor honest scientific inquiry and reverse the trend of activists distorting the scientific picture." What Happens Next Jarrow's sentencing date is scheduled for August 13. Jarrow faces up to five years in prison for false statement counts and up to 10 years for the theft of government funds. All counts carry a penalty of up to $250,000 in fines, up to three years of supervised release and a $100 mandatory special assessment fee, per the DOJ.
Epoch Times
10-05-2025
- Business
- Epoch Times
With 58 Counties in California, Where Does Yours Place Financially?
Commentary The final two counties in California to release their annual comprehensive financial reports for the year ending June 30, 2022, were Mariposa (Dec. 27, 2024) and While 49 of the 58 counties stayed roughly in place, nine of them The year ending in 2022 was a positive one for most municipalities, thanks to the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act and other federal relief funding, like the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). In the top 10 of the counties, San Benito County had revenues in excess of expenditures of $39.9 million, explaining its $33.8 million reduction in its unrestricted net deficit. This allowed the county to move up four positions into 8th place. Related Stories 5/6/2025 2/26/2025 Orange County's revenues in excess of expenditures was $1.3 billion, which reduced its unrestricted net deficit by $1.33 billion, and made it the biggest mover, jumping eight places up to 16th place. Not bad, as its bankruptcy filing back in 1994, due to the loss of $1.67 billion in its investment pool, had placed this county in 46th place back in 2010. Modifying its retiree medical plan (other post-employment benefit) and employee pension plan contributions had a lot to do with its upward climb. Many counties improved their unrestricted net positions and still dropped in the rankings, thanks to other counties making better improvements. But a few counties had setbacks. Although Kings County had revenues in excess of expenditures of $27.8 million, but had a prior period adjustment that reduced it by $14.9 million. It also restricted $3.7 million in funds and spent $18 million on capital assets, resulting in an increase in its unrestricted net deficit of $8.7 million. It dropped six places. The revenues in excess of expenditures for The critical goal is to improve the unrestricted net position. The other is to complete the annual audit, which is the official score sheet, within six months. Of California's 58 counties, 14 accomplished this admirable goal. The next deadline is March 31, and 25 counties were able to meet it. This left 19 counties, or one-third, delinquent. And the county officer responsible for issuing the report holds the title of 'auditor-controller.' Oh, well. Eleven counties were able to complete the audit work by the end of 2023. I bring this up because a county's financial management team can't make improvements in a timely manner from the recommendations that the auditors customarily provide to correct improper internal controls. It also makes budgeting a difficult chore if the county's supervisors don't have a balance sheet to plan from. If you live in these more remote counties, or if you're visiting them on vacation, as I have and so should you, then swing by the following halls of administration that also released their annual comprehensive financial reports for 2022 in 2024: Modoc (Jan. 9), Alpine (Jan. 19), Kings (April 5), Plumas (April 9), Imperial (July 19), and Humboldt (July 22). You're going to love the trip, and they're going to get the hint that some of us care about timely reporting. Views expressed in this article are opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Yahoo
18-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Worcester's record-setting free bus program takes another victory lap
The longest-running fare-free program in Massachusetts will continue into next year. The Worcester Regional Transit Authority (WRTA) advisory board voted to extend the agency's fare-free program until June 2026, according to an announcement posted on the authority's X page on Thursday. The fare-free program is part of the agency's FY2026 budget, with the board voting unanimously to extend the program. The WRTA first implemented the fare-free bus program in March 2020 at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021, the advisory board voted to renew the program, allocating funding from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act passed by Congress and signed into law by former President Donald Trump on March 27, 2020. The WRTA has renewed the program for the last five years, making Thursday's vote the sixth time they've done so. The Zero Fare Coalition, an advocacy group that supports fare-free transportation in Worcester County, celebrated the extension in an X post on Friday. 'Thank you to the WRTA for voting to extend free bus service through June 2026!' The post reads. 'Special thanks to advocates and riders for your continued advocacy; without you, the WRTA would not be the longest-running, fare-free regional transit system in the country!' The program will continue until June 2026 unless the WRTA votes to extend the program again. Beverly man faces OUI charge in connection with Worcester County pursuit Central Mass. coffee house opens new location — with new drive-thru Worcester colleges slam ballot question that would sap their endowments
