California Man Pleads Guilty to Scamming $9M From COVID Relief Programs

California Man Pleads Guilty to Scamming $9M From COVID Relief Programs

A California man pleaded guilty to federal charges that said he scammed $9 million in COVID relief loans, some of which he gambled away, according to the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) on Tuesday.

Andrew Marnell, 41, of Los Angeles admitted to fraudulently obtaining seven Payroll Protection Program (PPP) loans that he acquired after making numerous false and misleading statements about corporations he controlled, according to court documents.

In the program applications, Marnell misrepresented companies' business operations and payroll expenses, often using aliases and altered documents including "bogus" federal tax filings and employee payroll records.