The U.S. Department of Justice filed an indictment Thursday charging a Dallas-area man for his alleged participation in a scheme to file fraudulent loan applications seeking approximately $24.8 million from a federal COVID-19 relief program.
Dinesh Sah, 55, of Coppell, TX, was charged with three counts of wire fraud, three counts of bank fraud, and one count of money laundering. He was arrested on September 16 and remains in custody. The press did not name an attorney for him.
A federal civil asset forfeiture complaint was filed last Friday against Houston Independent School District’s (HISD) former Chief Operating Officer (COO) Brian Busby, who is accused of receiving cash kickbacks from a landscaping contractor for a series of projects that were never performed.
The forfeiture complaint is seeking to confiscate more than $185,000 that was seized in February 2020 from the residences of Busby and the contractor. Though Busby has not been charged with a crime, the filing alleges that the money is traceable to “the proceeds of federal programs theft and wire fraud.” It is unclear if Busby has acquired legal representation.
The U.S. Department of Justice announced fraud charges against a Texas man accused of fraudulently obtaining $1.1 million in federal loans earmarked for small businesses affected by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
Joshua Thomas Argires, 29, of Houston was charged with making false statements to a financial institution, engaging in unlawful monetary transactions, wire fraud, and bank fraud. It is unclear if he has acquired the services of an attorney.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas has announced the arrest of Michael George McQuarn of Austin for allegedly defrauding the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) Paycheck Protection Program of more than $2 million.
McQuarn was charged with wire fraud and making false statements to the SBA. The press did not name an attorney for him.
Authorities in Texas announced a third worker has died from injuries caused by an explosion at a Chesapeake Energy Corporation oil well site last Wednesday.
According to a preliminary report from the Railroad Commission of Texas, the explosion occurred at approximately 3:30 p.m. on January 29 at a pair of oil wells off County Road 127 near Deanville in Burleson County. Workers were upgrading a wellhead when an unexpected amount of natural gas entered the 8,500-foot-deep well and ignited.
Criminal Defense and Civil Forfeiture Blog