Jewral McIntyre, a 44-year-old resident of Venice, Florida, pleaded guilty on Apr. 23 in U.S. District Court to participating in a conspiracy that fraudulently obtained more than $257,980 through the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), according to an announcement by U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
The case highlights ongoing efforts by federal authorities to address fraudulent activity related to COVID-19 relief programs designed for small businesses and workers impacted by the pandemic.
McIntyre admitted guilt before Judge Rudolph Contreras to one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud. Sentencing is pending. According to court documents, McIntyre owned Rat Pack Worldwide Security & Consulting, a Florida corporation. In January 2021, he was approached about applying for a PPP loan using his business's name and agreed that the individual who proposed the idea would receive part of any approved funds.
A co-conspirator created a loan application containing false statements about Rat Pack’s operations—claiming it had 18 employees and an average monthly payroll exceeding $103,000 when it actually had no W2 employees and much lower payroll costs. The application included fraudulent supporting documents such as fake financial reports and tax forms for each quarter of 2020.
On March 12, 2021, both the Small Business Administration (SBA) and Capital Bank approved the application and deposited over $257,000 into Rat Pack’s account. Later, co-conspirators submitted a forgiveness application with additional false claims regarding employee numbers and use of funds; this resulted in full forgiveness of the loan after McIntyre e-signed on Aug. 8, 2022.
The CARES Act was enacted on March 29, 2020 as emergency legislation providing financial assistance during the COVID-19 pandemic—including up to $349 billion in forgivable loans through PPP for job retention and related expenses; Congress later authorized more funding for these loans.
U.S. Attorney Pirro said: “Fraud is never a victimless crime—McIntyre’s actions diverted critical resources from the small businesses and workers who needed it most... Our office remains committed to rooting out fraud, holding accountable those who exploit federal programs for personal gain, and safeguarding taxpayer funds.”
The investigation involved multiple agencies including the FBI Washington Field Office; District of Columbia Office of Inspector General; Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) Washington D.C.; with prosecution led by Assistant U.S. Attorney S. Babu Kaza along with former Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua Gold.
Authorities encourage anyone with information about attempted COVID-19-related fraud to contact the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline or submit information via their online complaint form.
