(WWJ) A Beverly Hills, Michigan, man has been sentenced to 24 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to executing a multi-million-dollar fraud scheme involving COVID-19 pandemic assistance funds.
According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Jabari Long previously pleaded guilty to a charge of conspiring to commit wire fraud.
In addition to his two-year custodial sentence, Long was ordered to serve three years on supervised release and pay $2,187,500 in restitution.
According to court records, Long used a contracting business called “Priceless Preservations Construction” to secure a fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan worth $2,187,000, as well as a fraudulent Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) for $150,000.
While Long claimed his business employed 50 people with an average monthly payroll of $875,000, court records show that Priceless Preservations Construction actually had few, if any, employees and little to no payroll expenses. In pleading guilty, Long admitted to submitting false tax documentation to secure the funding.
Within weeks of receiving the fraudulently obtained pandemic relief funds, Long used a portion of the money to purchase a four-bedroom home in the exclusive Beverly Hills community.
“Jabari Long falsely claimed to employ dozens through his so-called company ‘Priceless Preservations.’ But the only thing he preserved through this fraud was his greed. And his scheme wasn’t priceless at all; it carried a significant price he’s now being forced to pay,” stated U.S. Attorney Gorgon, announcing the sentence on Monday.
Federal officials emphasized the impact of pandemic fund exploitation on legitimate businesses and taxpayers.
“Legitimate businesses that followed the rules and relied on pandemic-assistance programs in good faith deserve protection from those who seek to abuse those programs for personal enrichment,” said HSI Detroit Acting Special Agent in Charge Jeremy Pierczynski. “
When fraudsters submit false information, invent payrolls, or misrepresent their operations to steal taxpayer-funded assistance, they undermine public trust and divert resources from the businesses and workers these programs were designed to support. HSI remains committed to working with our law enforcement partners to identify, investigate, and root out those who exploit federal programs to line their own pockets.”
“Jabari Long used fake tax documents and manufactured counterfeit business information to fraudulently obtain more than $2 million in pandemic relief funds,” said Todd Strom, Acting Special Agent in Charge, Detroit Field Office, IRS Criminal Investigation. “IRS-CI special agents are highly skilled at following the money and uncovering the financial evidence behind complex fraud schemes. We will continue working with our law enforcement partners to protect taxpayer dollars and hold accountable those who exploit federal programs for personal gain.”
The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and IRS-Criminal Investigation, and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew J. Yahkind.
