TAMPA, Fla. — A Florida man was sentenced and ordered to forfeit $82,400 in fraudulently obtained COVID-19 relief funds following a Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Tampa investigation.
Alexander Alli, 39, of Riverview, was sentenced to 13 months in federal prison for conspiracy and wire fraud in connection with his fraudulent receipt of COVID-19 relief funds. Alli was found guilty by a jury on Mar. 13.
According to court documents, Alli and a co-conspirator submitted a fraudulent Economic Injury Disaster Loan application to the Small Business Administration. Alli falsely represented that he had a business suffering injury due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and the Economic Injury Disaster Loan funds would be used only for business-related purposes, as specified in the loan applications. However, Alli’s business was no longer operational at the time his application was submitted and had ceased operations prior to the start of the pandemic. While Alli certified the funds would be used for his business, the evidence showed he spent the funds fraudulently. Alli’s false and fraudulent representations caused the Small Business Administration to approve and fund a total of $82,500 in Economic Injury Disaster Loan funds.
In May 2021, the attorney general established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The task force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts.
This case was investigated by HSI Tampa and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jennifer Peresie and Merrilyn E. Hoenemeyer.