Hayden O’Byrne United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida | The Florida Bar
The last of three individuals accused of conspiracy to commit wire fraud appeared in Miami federal court, facing charges related to fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan applications. The PPP was a financial relief initiative aimed at supporting small businesses during the Covid-19 pandemic.
According to the indictment, Guillermo Lopez Carrazana, Christian Mendoza, and Max Alberto Mera Ulloa, all from Miami-Dade County, allegedly conspired between May 2020 and March 2021 to submit over 165 false PPP loan applications to the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). This scheme reportedly resulted in $6.5 million being obtained under false pretenses.
The defendants are accused of owning and operating various businesses such as G LUX LLC, Global Tax & Accounting Group Corp, CM Logistics Systems LLC, and Max Mera Corporation. They allegedly submitted fraudulent applications misrepresenting payroll and employee information.
Further allegations include a kickback scheme where payments were exchanged for referring others to participate in the fraudulent activities. It is claimed that instead of using the funds for their intended purpose, they were used for personal enrichment.
U.S. Attorney Hayden P. O’Byrne for the Southern District of Florida announced these charges alongside Special Agent in Charge Brett D. Skiles of the FBI's Miami Field Office and Special Agent in Charge Emmanuel Gomez of IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), Miami Field Office.
The case is under investigation by FBI Miami and IRS-CI's Miami Field Office with Assistant U.S. Attorney Roger Cruz prosecuting.
It is important to note that an indictment is an allegation; all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in court.
For more details on this case, refer to case number 25-cr-20178 on the District Court for the Southern District of Florida's website or through PACER.
