A federal jury in Tampa has convicted Stephen L. Gurba, 69, of Belleair, on charges of wire fraud, making a false statement to a financial institution, and aggravated identity theft. Gurba could face up to 20 years in prison for each of the two wire fraud counts, up to 30 years for the false statement charge, and a mandatory minimum of two years for each aggravated identity theft count. The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe.
According to evidence presented at trial, Gurba submitted fraudulent Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) applications between March and June 2020 on behalf of Big Red Express Trucking, LLC and Zenith Express, LLC. He used the identity of his former business partner who had died in 2019 to apply for these loans. The applications included the deceased partner’s name and forged signature, with certifications that the information was true under criminal penalty.
Gurba continued this impersonation during post-loan communications with the Small Business Administration (SBA), leading to approval and funding of EIDL loans for both companies.
He also applied for a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan through an SBA-authorized financial institution on behalf of Big Red Express Trucking. Gurba certified that PPP funds would be used only for authorized expenses such as payroll or rent. However, he spent some proceeds at a casino and used funds for personal enrichment and unrelated business debts. This resulted in approval and funding of a $955,448.75 PPP loan.
The investigation was conducted by the Federal Housing Finance Agency – Office of Inspector General and the Small Business Administration – Office of Inspector General. Special Assistant United States Attorney Chris Poor is prosecuting the case.
