NEW YORK (WCBS880) — A Brooklyn man accused of cutting the brake lines of a police van is now facing federal charges for allegedly lying on an application for coronavirus aid.
Federal prosecutors say 24-year-old Jeremy Trapp lied when he claimed he was the sole owner of a commercial car wash at his home address in Brooklyn. He also said that he employed 10 people and grossed $150,000 a year.
Claiming losses due to COVID, the Small Business Administration gave Trapp a $10,000 grant and $42,000 loan to keep his business afloat.
Prosecutors claim the funds were deposited into his bank account and he later withdrew about $9,000 in cash on July 13.
Investigators found the car wash didn't exist and now Trapp could face up to 20 years for fraud, if convicted.
“As alleged, Trapp filed an application containing outright lies in order to steal government funds intended to help small businesses and their employees survive the economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic,” stated Acting United States Attorney Seth DuCharme. “The Department of Justice will ensure that taxpayer and pandemic relief funds are not misappropriated, but are used for their intended purpose and deserving recipients.”
"While small business owners around the country were scrambling to make ends meet and find ways to compensate their employees during the COVID-19 pandemic, Trapp blatantly lied on an application for economic stimulus, as alleged today,” stated FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge William Sweeney. “Without a legitimate business to claim or any employees to pay, he wasn’t at all eligible for the funding he eventually received. Stealing federal aid reserved for those suffering from the pandemic's economic fallout is an easy way to rack up criminal charges. As a result, the one thing Trapp is now eligible for is the chance of spending a significant amount of time behind bars.”
Trapp was already in federal lock up for allegedly cutting the brake lines of a police van during a Black Lives Matter protest in July.
Police have video of him under the van and say they found wire cutters at the time of his arrest.