It was a Texas-sized fraud.
A Houston man was sentenced to 9 years in jail for stealing $1.6 million in COVID-19 aid help and utilizing it to purchase a $230,000 Lamborghini, a brand new dwelling and workplace and to pay for journeys to strip golf equipment and nights out in town.
Lee Worth III, 30, pleaded responsible in September to defrauding the federal government by submitting false functions for Paycheck Safety Program loans, claiming he had dozens of staff, when he, in actual fact, employed nobody.
Prosecutors say Worth submitted mortgage functions in 2020 for 3 companies he stated employed between 30 to 75 folks every and that had a whole bunch of 1000’s of {dollars} in payroll bills every month. However a search of tax and Texas labor data confirmed that not one of the companies had any staff, prosecutors stated.
In a single case, Worth allegedly listed an 88-year-old man who had not too long ago died as chief govt of one of many corporations, forging his signature on the mortgage functions. In one other occasion, he used the Social Safety quantity for his father, who has the identical title, to use for one of many loans.
Authorities say Worth additionally lied on the PPP functions by stating he didn’t have a felony report, when he had two convictions for forgery in 2010 and theft in 2011, and was going through pending state expenses for tampering with authorities data when he was arrested.
General, prosecutors say Worth obtained greater than $1.6 million in fraudulently obtained loans.
As soon as he obtained the cash, prosecutors say Worth shortly purchased a $230,000 Lamborghini Urus SUV, an $85,000 Ford F-350 pickup and a $14,000 Rolex watch. He additionally paid two down funds of over $100,000 every on a house and workplace house, and tens of 1000’s extra to lease a luxurious condo in downtown Houston.
Prosecutors stated Worth used 1000’s of {dollars} of the ill-gotten cash for journeys to strip golf equipment, night time golf equipment and liquor retailer payments.
Worth filed discover on the day he was sentenced that he meant to enchantment. A message left for his legal professional wasn’t instantly returned.