WHEELING, W.Va. – A federal grand jury has indicted five from West Virginia for coronavirus fraud, including a Bridgeport resident.
United State Attorney William Ihlenfeld announced the indictments as follows:
Dalton Haas, 27, of Wheeling, Wire Fraud and False Statements to Small Business Administration
James A. Nolte, 51, of Bridgeport, wire fraud and money laundering
Shawn M. Murphy, 47, of Moundsville, wire fraud
David Boyd, 27, of Chester, wire fraud and false statement to federal agent
Jodi Headley, 49,of Chester, mail fraud
Dalton Haas allegedly made false statements about organizations he was affiliated with to obtain CARES Act funding. Haas is accused of lying about gross revenues, cost of goods sold, and the number of employees for the Lebanese Restaurant & Bakery, the Wheeling Wine Festival, the West Virginia Hockey League, and the Wheeling Hockey Association.
James Nolte is accused of defrauding the Paychecki Protection Program (PPP) of $645,717. Investigators said Nolte submited false tax documents, payroll reports, and business records in order to obtain the loans for PGO Veteran Services, PG Health, RJS Catering, and Dental Care Plus.
Shawn Murphy allegedly applied for CARES Act funds while he working as a machine operator at businesses in Marshall County.
David Boyd is accused of providing flase information to support an application for PPP funding. That included lying about the gross income of a business known as the Seafood Hut.
Jodi Headley allegedly applied for and received unemployment benefits despite being employed by Hancock County schools.