Tuesday, September 1st, 2020
TODAY’S GENIUS AWARD GOES TO……
A South Florida man and woman are accused of trying to obtain $1.1 million in federal Coronavirus relief loans for businesses that didn’t exist. 38-year-old Latoya Stanley and 33-year-old Johnny Philus, who are neighbors in Miami, were charged wire fraud and making false statements.
The complaint alleges that Stanley claimed to employ eighteen people for a beauty supply business and five for a farm at her Miami home. According to prosecutors, Philus claimed to employ twenty-nine people for his car company and another ten at a farm in his yard. Stanley and Philus both live in residential homes with small yards.
Online court records didn’t list attorneys for Stanley or Philus. The Paycheck Protection Program represents billions of dollars in forgivable small business loans for Americans struggling because of the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, which became federal law in March.