A Salt Lake City accountant was sentenced after being convicted of wire fraud for fraudulently obtaining approximately $221,400 in Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) funds. Peter N. Sinju, 51, pleaded guilty in December 2025 and was ordered to pay about $10,150 in restitution.
According to court documents and statements made during Sinju’s change of plea and sentencing hearings, he submitted at least four fraudulent PPP loan applications and five fraudulent EIDL loan applications on behalf of his clients between June 2, 2020, and July 3, 2020. The COVID-19 relief programs were designed to help small businesses meet obligations such as payroll and rent during the pandemic.
Sinju told his accounting clients that he could apply for emergency loans on their behalf due to his access to their financial information. Without their knowledge, he inflated payroll and revenue figures in the applications. In three cases involving PPP loans for separate clients, Sinju fabricated payroll sheets using identical false wage amounts for employees—some of whom did not exist. Each business owner denied certifying these fabricated documents.
Overall, Sinju applied for roughly $461,197.50 in fraudulent loans but only secured about $221,400 because some applications were denied. He charged his clients a total of about $10,150 in fees or commissions for helping them apply for these loans.
U.S. Attorney Melissa Holyoak of the District of Utah announced the sentencing.
The FBI Salt Lake City Field Office and the Office of Inspector General U.S. Small Business Administration conducted the investigation into the case.
Assistant United States Attorneys Todd C. Bouton and Brian Williams prosecuted the matter.
The Justice Department’s Fraud Section leads efforts against schemes exploiting the PPP program established under the CARES Act. To date, over 150 defendants have been prosecuted across more than 95 criminal cases related to PPP fraud; authorities have seized over $75 million derived from such activities along with various assets purchased with illegal proceeds. More information is available at https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-takes-action-against-covid-19-fraud.
