West Virginia
West Virginia lied to get pandemic loan while in prison – WOUB Public Media
A West Virginia man claims he operated a food truck to get a pandemic loan. Prosecutors say he was an inmate
By: Associated Press
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WHEELING, W.Va. (AP) — A West Virginia man who obtained a government pandemic loan after falsely claiming he was operating a food truck despite being an inmate at the time has been sentenced to more than 13 years in prison, prosecutors said Wednesday.
Anton Demetrius Matthews, previously convicted of wire fraud, cocaine trafficking and a supervised release violation, was ordered in federal court in Wheeling to pay $55,000 in restitution and a money judgment of $50,000, prosecutors said.
Matthews, 40, of Wheeling, obtained nearly $50,000 in federal pandemic relief loans after misrepresenting his income and occupation while he was incarcerated, U.S. Attorney William Ihlenfeld said in a statement.
A U.S. government pandemic loan was granted to businesses that were struggling during coronavirus.
Matthews submitted a pandemic loan application in which he claimed to have established a food truck business in Wheeling in January 2019. He was in federal prison from November 2016 until October 2020. After his release from prison, Matthews sold cocaine from a neighborhood bar on Wheeling Island, the statement said.
“We have noticed an uptick in drug traffickers who are also engaging in white collar crime, committing acts such as COVID fraud or income tax fraud,” Ihlenfeld said. “Mr. Matthews is a good example of this trend, and he will pay a steep price for committing two serious, but very different, crimes.”
WHEELING, W.Va. — Wheeling is home to West Virginia’s first recovery program designed specifically for young adults, offering a new track aimed at people ages 18 to 24 who are working to overcome substance use disorders.
Youth Services System announced it will offer the recovery track at the McCrary Center in Wheeling for young adults dealing with opioid or stimulant use disorders. The program is designed to provide recovery-focused housing and support services, giving participants a safe, structured environment as they work toward long-term recovery and stability.
“Our transitional living program has been licensed by the Department of Human Services, as well as the Office of Health Facility Licensure. We also achieved the West Virginia Alliance of Recovery Residence certification so there will be a lot of oversight in this program. And we look forward to our continued work with them,” YSS CEO Jill Eddy said.
Youth Services System received a one-time grant through the West Virginia Bureau of Behavioral Health to help expand services and launch the new track in Wheeling.
“Research shows that the longer a person is provided a safe space while in recovery, the chances of their success in recovery and remaining sober is definitely increased,” Eddy said.
Services will include substance-free and MAT-friendly housing, peer recovery support, therapy, recovery planning, and overdose prevention education. The program also supports individuals with co-occurring mental health conditions and prioritizes high-risk and underserved populations.
More information about Youth Services System is available here.
BUCKHANNON, W.Va (WDTV) – WestCare West Virginia cut the ribbon for its Hope in the Mountains complex on 22 N. Locust Street. The new facility will treat men with substance abuse issues with the hopes of fighting the drug epidemic in West Virginia.
Each room in the complex includes 56 beds, a television set and clean bathroom. Stephen Wright spoke ahead of the ribbon cutting along with Buckhannon officials. He said this facility differs from others on how they approach treatment.
“We really focus on the individual and the individual needs and focus on their progress in the program versus a number of days that a person is in treatment. So it’s really individualized,” said Stephen Wright, chief operating officer of WestCare Appalachia. “So we still need aftercare, outpatient counseling, and those things. But this really gives an opportunity for an intervention to break that cycle for individuals struggling with addiction. Because lots of times they must be separated from the living circumstances that they’re in at that time.”
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A federal appeals court agreed to rehear West Virginia’s request to lift an injunction barring enforcement of state restrictions against drugmakers seeking to limit discounts to pharmacies under a federal program.
The US Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit granted Thursday West Virginia Attorney General John McCuskey’s request to rehear en banc arguments over a preliminary injunction. All active judges in the court will review the case after a three-judge panel in March ruled to keep the state’s SB 325 temporarily blocked while litigation plays out over the law.
The court said the case is scheduled for oral argument …
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