Man arrested after buying Lamborghini Huracan with fraudulent coronavirus stimulus
The exotic car, resort and luxury retailer purchases all came from the federal government's Paycheck Protection Program.
The Paycheck Protection Program, part of the emergency CARES stimulus bill passed this past March amid the coronavirus pandemic, became a lifeline for many businesses across the nation. One Florida man, however, decided to take advantage of the system at the expense of deserving recipients.
The US Department of Justice said Monday that 29-year-old David Hines allegedly applied for PPP loans on behalf of numerous companies. With a hefty dose of fraud and misleading statements, banks approved the applications and the man received a total of $3.9 million, though the DOJ said Hines originally requested a total of $13.5 million.
The loans, typically used to cover payroll and expenses amid the pandemic for business owners, instead went toward the purchase of a Lamborghini Huracan, purchased for $318,000, according to the complaint. Hines allegedly never made payroll payments to any of the companies he listed on applications, and aside from the new car, the funds also went toward purchases at various luxury retailers and resorts based in Miami, Florida.
The $3.9 million Hines received was part of $349 billion Congress approved as part of the program. Aside from payroll, businesses can use the funds to pay rent, utilities and interest on mortgages.
Hines faces three charges after the federal government seized the Huracan and remaining $3.4 million in the man's bank account: bank fraud, making false statements to a financial institution and engaging in transactions in unlawful proceeds.
