A Jacksonville man has pleaded guilty to charges related to misusing nearly $1 million in Paycheck Protection Program loan money, funds that investigators say he spent on himself.
Kenneth Steven Landers is facing up to 30 years behind bars. He was the subject of a previous investigation by theLanders pleaded guilty Tuesday to COVID relief fraud and money laundering. Federal authorities say he was defrauding taxpayers out of hundreds of thousands of dollars, using it to buy a gold Rolex and an $87,000 vintage Jaguar XKE roadster.
IRS Assistant Special Agent in Charge Tara Reed says she can’t reveal how investigators learned about Landers, but notes that it’s not uncommon for members of the public to tip them off. Prosecutors say Landers used the money meant to keep businesses afloat and people employed as a personal piggy bank, withdrawing more than $100,000 cash, writing checks to himself and padding his personal account.
Reed says Landers forged tax documents when he applied for loans on behalf of four corporate entities he controlled, including the nonprofit American Fallen Veterans Service Project Inc. Its website asks visitors to “Help support the families of our fallen veterans with your generous car donation.”
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