CHARLOTTE — A local business owner pleaded guilty to his role in a $720,000 COVID-19 fraud scheme.
Evan Agustin Perez, 35, of Charlotte, pleaded guilty Wednesday to wire fraud conspiracy. He used federal COVID-era loan programs to fraudulently get the money, prosecutors said.
According to court documents, from April 2020 to September 2021, Perez and his accomplices took out loans meant for COVID-19 disaster relief for several businesses he either controlled or was associated with.
The loan applications had false or fraudulent information about Perez’s businesses, resulting in $720,000 in disaster relief funds. They also submitted applications for loan forgiveness that had false information.
Perez’s co-conspirator, Edward Whitaker, pleaded guilty in January to money laundering.
Perez was released on bond after his plea hearing. A sentencing date hasn’t been set yet, but the maximum statutory penalty for the wire fraud conspiracy offense is five years in prison.
(WATCH BELOW: Charlotte business owner indicted in $1.2M COVID loan fraud scheme)
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