Jerome F. Gorgon, Jr., U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan | Department of Justice
A federal indictment was unsealed in Detroit charging Jabari Kadar Long, 45, of Beverly Hills with defrauding the U.S. Small Business Administration by submitting fraudulent loan applications to the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) during the coronavirus pandemic. The announcement was made by Jerome F. Gorgon, Jr., along with Jared Murphey, Acting Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations-Detroit, and Karen Wingerd, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigations Detroit Field Office.
Long faces one count each of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud affecting a financial institution, and money laundering. According to the indictment, Long collaborated with others to obtain funds through PPP and EIDL applications for businesses that did not qualify for such loans. The charges allege that Long personally applied for and received $2,187,000 under a business named “Priceless Preservations Construction.” In his application for PPP funds, he claimed the company had 50 employees and an average monthly payroll of $875,000; however, authorities allege that Priceless Preservations Construction had few or no employees and minimal payroll expenses. The total amount allegedly obtained fraudulently exceeded $3 million.
“An indictment is merely a formal charge and is not evidence of guilt. Every defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. It is the burden of the government to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.”
The case will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Sara D. Woodward and investigated by Homeland Security Investigations alongside the Internal Revenue Service.
