SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS RADIO) – A former East Bay resident is facing up to a decade in prison and a $250,000 fine after pleading guilty on Thursday to stealing COVID-19 relief funds.
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Javed Wahab, a 53-year-old who formerly lived in Pleasanton, pleaded guilty to one count of theft of government property after admitting to stealing nearly $187,000 in CARES Act Provider Relief funds.
That money was directed to compensate providers for the cost of care during the coronavirus pandemic, and the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of California said in a release on Thursday that Wahab admitted to spending the money on his personal use and transferring it to his family members.
Wahab, the owner of three businesses providing hospice and home health care in Alameda County and elsewhere, received about $285,000 in money "designated for the medical treatment and care of COVID-19 patients" for those companies. Two of those companies, according to court documents, stopped operating in 2019. The third discharged all of its patients in March 2020.
The 53-year-old transferred $50,000 to a Las Vegas casino on April 17, 2020 and signed over two provider relief checks worth more than $108,500 to an East Bay luxury car dealership, according to last September's indictment.
A federal grand jury indicted Wahab on five counts of theft of government property. As part of his plea agreement, the other four counts will be dismissed at his Aug. 25 sentencing hearing. Wahab could also be sentenced to up to three years of supervised release.
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