A man from East Helena recently received a prison sentence for a COVID-19 relief bank fraud scheme.
Trevor Gene Lanius-McLeod, 48, pleaded guilty to lying in order to receive over $1 million in Small Business Administration-backed Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans intended for COVID-19 pandemic relief, the Department of Justice reported in a release. He used the money received for personal gain. Lanius-Mcleod was sentenced to 2 1/2 years in prison and three years of supervised release.
"During a trying time in our country's history, Lanius-McLeod stole money from a government program designed to keep businesses afloat and lined his own pockets to the detriment of truly needy businesses," U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said in the release. "Today, we send a strong message that such fraud will not go unpunished in the District of Montana. I want to thank Assistant U.S. Attorney Colin M. Rubich, IRS Criminal Investigation, the FBI and all of our law enforcement partners for their work on this case."
As early as April 2020, Lanius-McLeod started received money through PPP after making several false statements in his application to receive over $1 million in funds from four different loans, the DOJ reported. He also applied for and received a $349,000 PPP loan in the name of an entity he led. Lanius-McLeod claimed he had 25 employees and paid payroll taxes, which was false, and he would have never received the funds had he been truthful.
"The sentence handed down today is a direct reflection of the seriousness of Mr. Lanius-McLeod's crimes," Andy Tsui, special agent in charge of the IRS Criminal Investigation Denver field office, said in the release. "Not only is Lanius-McLeod guilty of crimes against the federal government, but he also victimized individuals and businesses the Paycheck Protection Program was designed to protect. These actions will not be tolerated, and the judge's ruling sends a clear message to others who try to defraud CARES Act programs that these crimes will not go unpunished."
Lanius-McLeod was ordered to pay restitution of over $1 million, the DOJ reported. Co-defendant Kasey Wilson, who was sentenced in March, was ordered to pay $125,000 of that amount jointly with Lanius-McLeod.
"Trevor Lanius-McLeod greedily robbed small businesses that depended on PPP funds to survive," Dennis Rice, special agent in charge of the Salt Lake City FBI, said in the release. "His sentence should serve as a reminder that the FBI and our federal partners are vigilantly working to make sure federal assistance funds are used as intended, and that those who defraud such programs will be held accountable."
