Hayden O’Byrne United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida | The Florida Bar
Freddy Urribarri, 42, and Mairilin Munoz, 39, have been charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, and money laundering in Miami. Both defendants, who are Venezuelan nationals granted Temporary Protected Status (TPS), are accused of submitting false Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan applications. They were living in Dania Beach, Florida, at the time of their arrest.
According to the indictment and statements made in court, the defendants allegedly conspired to submit fraudulent loan applications for PPP relief funds intended for small businesses affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. Urribarri and Munoz presented two sole proprietorship applications with false tax documents. Furthermore, a PPP loan application for FU&MM General Services, a company they controlled, included fabricated income and employee numbers, resulting in the approval of a loan worth approximately $438,000.
After receiving the funds, the defendants allegedly attempted to disguise the nature of the money. Munoz engaged in financial transactions exceeding $10,000 with the fraud proceeds. Both defendants also presented fraudulent tax documents for a PPP loan forgiveness application.
The charges were announced by U.S. Attorney Hayden P. O’Byrne for the Southern District of Florida and Acting Special Agent in Charge José R. Figueroa of the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Miami Field Division.
The case was investigated by HSI Miami and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel Bernstein. It is important to note that accusations in the indictment are not evidence of guilt, and the defendants are presumed innocent until proven otherwise.
The COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force, established on May 17, 2021, by the Attorney General, aims to strengthen the Department of Justice's efforts against pandemic-related fraud. The task force collaborates with government agencies to combat and prevent fraud through coordination, resource identification, and shared insights.
For more information on the case, related documents, and the Department's pandemic response, visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus or the District Court for the Southern District of Florida's website under case number 25-cr-20151.
