A federal indictment unsealed in Detroit charges Jabari Kadar Long, 45, of Beverly Hills, with defrauding the U.S. Small Business Administration by submitting fraudulent loan applications to the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) during the coronavirus pandemic. The announcement was made by Jerome F. Gorgon, Jr., along with Jared Murphey, Acting Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations-Detroit, and Karen Wingerd, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigations Detroit Field Office.
Long faces one count each of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud affecting a financial institution, and money laundering. According to the indictment, Long collaborated with others to obtain funds illegally through PPP and EIDL applications for businesses that did not qualify for such loans. The indictment specifically alleges that Long applied for and received $2,187,000 on behalf of a business called “Priceless Preservations Construction.” In his application for PPP funds, Long claimed the business had 50 employees and an average monthly payroll of $875,000. However, prosecutors allege that Priceless Preservations Construction had few or no employees and little to no payroll expenses. In total, Long is accused of fraudulently obtaining over $3 million from these relief programs.
“An indictment is merely a formal charge and is not evidence of guilt. Every defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. It is the burden of the government to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.”
Assistant United States Attorney Sara D. Woodward is prosecuting the case. Homeland Security Investigations and the Internal Revenue Service are conducting the investigation.
