Connect with us

Georgia

Georgia soldier admits to stealing millions in COVID-19 relief funds

Published

on

Georgia soldier admits to stealing millions in COVID-19 relief funds


An Military warrant officer stationed at Fort Stewart, Georgia, pleaded responsible July 14 to defrauding the federal government out of “hundreds of thousands of {dollars}” in COVID-19 reduction funds meant for small companies and scholar mortgage forgiveness, the Justice Division stated.

CWO2 Dara Buck, also-known-as Dara Butler, 39, initially was charged after investigators stated Buck was accountable for illegally submitting greater than 150 Paycheck Safety Program mortgage functions for co-conspirators and her personal private achieve.

PPP funds, established by the $2.2 trillion coronavirus reduction invoice in March 2020, have been meant to provide small companies with forgivable loans to cowl payroll prices and different enterprise expenditures amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The loans have been meant to save lots of jobs as companies misplaced prospects throughout lockdowns, however allegations of fraud additionally appeared.

Advertisement

The DoJ has since charged greater than 500 individuals with improperly claiming funds, in line with the New York Instances.

In Buck’s case, the Military warrant officer faces as much as 5 years in federal jail and a $250,000 nice, along with potential restitution and three years of supervised launch. Her sentencing listening to might be held after the completion of a closing pre-sentencing investigation to be performed by the U.S. Probation Workplace, in line with the DoJ.

Buck admitted to spearheading the fraud scheme from August 2017 via Could 2021, falsely representing small companies, in line with her info and plea settlement.

With a purpose to obtain reduction funds, Buck would declare that every respective enterprise had grossed roughly $100,000 in revenue in 2019, with month-to-month payrolls of $8,333.30. This quantity meant that loans paid out for every profitable PPP software would equal $20,833, the utmost quantity obtainable for small companies that make use of just one worker.

Co-conspirators would then pay Buck roughly $500 to $1,000 per software, or she would immediately obtain the fraudulent funds herself.

Advertisement

Moreover, Buck and different co-conspirators, who weren’t named by the DoJ, would submit fraudulent functions for different small companies and people, for a charge.

Altogether, Buck admitted to submitting greater than 150 fraudulent PPP mortgage functions to the Small Enterprise Administration for herself and others within the conspiracy, leading to greater than $3.5 million in fraudulent disbursements.

Utilizing falsified Veterans Affairs disabilities claims, Buck additionally charged co-conspirators to assist them submit functions that may safe a discharge of federal scholar loans, largely meant for veterans with a 100% complete and everlasting incapacity score.

On one event, Buck helped falsify and file an software to discharge a co-conspirator’s scholar loans in November 2018, DoJ stated. For the appliance, Buck procured a fraudulent letter from the VA stating that the co-conspirator was a disabled veteran with a 100% service-connected incapacity, despite the fact that the person was neither a veteran nor disabled. Greater than $17,000 have been discharged on account of this one declare.

The entire loans discharged beneath this a part of the scheme equaled greater than $1 million, in line with the DoJ.

Advertisement

“This defendant falsified VA incapacity paperwork that have been, in flip, used to fraudulently discharge federal loans on the taxpayers’ expense for somebody who wasn’t even a veteran,” stated David Spilker, particular agent accountable for the VA Workplace of Inspector Basic’s Southeast Discipline Workplace.

Along with the VA OIG, the case in opposition to Buck was investigated by the SBA’s Workplace of Inspector Basic, the Protection Legal Investigative Service, the Military’s Legal Investigation Division and different governmental entities.

Officers from Fort Stewart, Georgia, couldn’t be reached for remark on the time of publication.

Rachel is a Marine Corps veteran, Penn State alumna and Grasp’s candidate at New York College for Enterprise and Financial Reporting.



Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading
Advertisement
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Georgia

Three-Star Edge Carrington Coombs Commits to Georgia Tech, Bumps Yellow Jackets Up to No. 22 Nationally In Rankings

Published

on

Three-Star Edge Carrington Coombs Commits to Georgia Tech, Bumps Yellow Jackets Up to No. 22 Nationally In Rankings


Georgia Tech had a great weekend recruiting last weekend and they have got the ball rolling again tonight with the commitment of Carrington Coombs, a three-star edge who plays at Hebron Christian Academy in Georgia. Coombs is now the 13th commitment in the 2025 class for Georgia Tech.

Georgia Tech’s class now ranks 22nd in the country and 4th in the ACC, behind only Clemson, Syracuse and Stanford. The Yellow Jackets average recruit rank is an 87.44, higher than either Syracuse and Stanford and only trails Clemson, Florida State, Miami, North Carolina, and SMU.

According to the 247Sports Composite, Coombs is a three-star player, the No. 625 player in the country, the No. 68 linebacker in the country, and the No. 69 player in the state of Georgia.

Advertisement

Other offers that Coombs held were Boston College, Kansas State, Liberty, Virginia, Oklahoma State, USF, and App State, among others. Here are some other news and noteworthy stats about Coombs courtesy of 247Sports:

Also plays basketball.

2023: Two-way snaps for Dacula (Ga.) Hebron Christian Academy, helping lead the Lions to a 6-5 record and first round berth in the GHSA 3A playoffs. Totaled 41 tackles, four sacks, and a forced fumble as a junior along with two catches for 23 yards on offense.

Georgia Tech is off to a really good start to the month and they should only be getting better. Brent Key has done a great job of getting guys on campus and being able to land them.

2025 Georgia Tech commitments

Advertisement

Four-Star Offensive Lineman Justin Hasenhuetl

Three-Star defensive end Andre Fuller

Three-star quarterback Grady Adamson

Three-star offensive lineman Jimmy Bryson

Three-star Safety Rasean Dinkins

Advertisement

Three-star Running Back JP Powell

Three-Star Safety Fenix Felton

Three-Star Athlete Jamauri Brice

Three-Star Tight end Connor Roush

Three-star offensive lineman Kevin Peay

Advertisement

Four-Star Cornerback Dalen Penson

Three-Star Wide Receiver Sam Turner

Three-Star Edge Carrington Coombs





Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Georgia

Georgia DNR's Coastal Resources Division completes three artificial reef additions

Published

on

Georgia DNR's Coastal Resources Division completes three artificial reef additions


There are new additions to Reef JY off St. Catherines Island, Reef SAV near Tybee Island, and Reef HLHA east of Little Cumberland Island. These aim to enhance marine habitats and support local biodiversity.

The Coastal Resources Division (CRD) of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources recently completed three significant additions to Georgia’s offshore artificial reefs. 

CRD’s Habitat Enhancement and Restoration Unit conducted these deployments to enhance marine habitats and support local biodiversity. All materials were thoroughly cleaned and inspected by the U.S. Coast Guard prior to deployment. 

The 62-foot tug Sarah Katlin was deployed to Reef JY on May 31, situated 17 nautical miles east of St. Catherines Island. This deployment aims to create new habitats for marine life and support the local fishing community. The vessel sank in 68 feet of water at 31.60667°N, 80.79922°W (31°36.400’N, 80°47.953’W).

Advertisement

Following this, on June 5, approximately 63 tons of concrete blocks previously used by the U.S. Coast Guard to anchor aids to navigation were added to Reef SAV about 6 nautical miles east of Tybee Island. These materials provide essential structure for various marine species, promoting ecological diversity and sustainability. The blocks were placed by the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Willow (WLB-202), a seagoing buoy tender, in 41 feet of water at 31.92138°N, 80.78621°W (31°55.283’N, 80°47.173’W).

The final deployment occurred June 6, when the 50-foot tug G.A. Franklin was added to Reef HLHA, 23 miles east of Little Cumberland Island. This addition further expands the available habitats for fish and other marine organisms, contributing to the overall health of Georgia’s coastal ecosystems. The Franklin went down in 76 feet of water at 30.98958°N, 80.95315°W (30°59.375’N, 80°57.189’W).

The Savannah ABC affiliate WJCL-TV joined CRD for the deployment of the G.A. Franklin. The station aired an informative story highlighting the meticulous process of cleaning and preparing reef materials for deployment, ensuring environmental safety and effectiveness.

“We are very happy with the success of these reef deployments,” said Paul Medders, CRD’s Habitat Enhancement and Restoration Unit lead. “Artificial reefs play a crucial role in enhancing marine habitats, supporting fish populations, and boosting recreational fishing opportunities. These additions will provide long-term benefits for our coastal environment and community. While the reef materials are man-made, the organisms that will find a home here are totally natural.”

Advertisement

G.A. Franklin sinking. DNR photo by Tyler Jones.The Coastal Conservation Association Georgia, a CRD partner, provided financial support to make the reef deployments possible. Members of the public can also show their support for artificial reef creation by purchasing the “Support Fish Habitat” license plate (Code “NR”) at their local tag office. This eye-catching tag features the state saltwater fish, the red drum, and costs just $25 more annually than a standard tag.

The CRD remains committed to conserving and enhancing Georgia’s coastal resources for present and future generations. For more information about the artificial reef program and other conservation initiatives, please visit CoastalGaDNR.org/HERU.

About the Coastal Resources Division

The mission of the Coastal Resources Division is to balance coastal development and protection of the coast’s natural assets, socio-cultural heritage and recreational resources for the benefit of present and future generations.





Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Georgia

Georgia Department of Public Health closing all remaining COVID-19 community testing sites – 41NBC News | WMGT-DT

Published

on

Georgia Department of Public Health closing all remaining COVID-19 community testing sites – 41NBC News | WMGT-DT


COVID-19 testing kiosks are now located throughout the state.
(Photo Credit: Taylor Gilchrist/41NBC)

MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) –

PCR testing though Georgia Department of Public Health will end operations July 1.

Michael Hokanson, the public information officer for the department’s North Central Health District, says there are still many ways to get tested for COVID-19 should you need to.

“There are other opportunities as well through other medical providers, pharmacies, things of that nature,” he said. “But we want to make sure that if anybody has any reasonable expectation for testing it is still available, just not the PCR Testing at that site.”

Advertisement

COVID-19 testing kiosks are now located throughout the state. For more information, click here.





Source link

Continue Reading
Advertisement

Trending