San Jose man bought cryptocurrency, Tesla with PPP loan money, authorities say

San Jose man bought cryptocurrency, Tesla with PPP loan money, authorities say

3 years ago
Anonymous $drS9DEX_Sj

https://www.mercurynews.com/2021/07/10/san-jose-man-bought-cryptocurrency-tesla-with-ppp-loan-money-authorities-say/

SAN JOSE — A man was arrested after authorities say he fraudulently took advantage of federal pandemic relief programs, illicitly gaining about $2 million dollars which he used to buy cryptocurrency, purchase a Tesla and dine at restaurants.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of California, 40-year-old Lebnitz Tran, of San Jose, allegedly submitted 27 phony applications to the Paycheck Protection Program and at least seven applications to the Economic Injury Disaster Loan program, both of which were established to help businesses across the country weather the financial storms of the coronavirus pandemic.