GREENBELT, MD—A Washington D.C. man has been indicted for allegedly stealing a Maryland man’s identity in order to receive fraudulent CARES Act loans that were used for his own personal use, the U.S. Department of Justice announced this week.

Authorities say that 42-year-old Jemel Lyles was able to receive three fraudulent CARES Act loans for a total of $300,000.

According to the indictment, Lyles first submitted an application for a loan to a construction and landscaping company that he lied about the size of his payroll.

Lyles then allegedly stole the identity of a Maryland man and applied for two more fraudulent PPP loans using his fake documents.

If he is convicted, Lyles will face a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison for each wire fraud charge, two years for each aggravated identity theft charge, and 10 years for money laundering.

He is currently awaiting his first federal court appearance.

The COVID-19 Paycheck Protection Program provided loans to small businesses across the country to help them retain employees during the pandemic.

This article was written with the assistance of AI and reviewed by a human editor.

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