A former Philadelphia church pastor from New Jersey who stole $662,454 by applying for and receiving fraudulent COVID business loans has been sentenced to two years in federal prison. The “consultant” prepared a new loan application for Alexandre, allowing the church to receive a check for more than $260,000, federal prosecutors said. The application claimed the church had 12 employees, annual revenue of $1,256,040, and an average annual payroll of $104,670, according to charging documents. Later, Alexandre offered to help church members to fraudulently apply for and receive COVID loans. He lied to at least two members — telling them a fake Florida consultant prepared the applications and was due a 25% cut, officials said.

Source: New York Times September 07, 2023 16:36 UTC