A federal jury convicted a Michigan businessman today of wire fraud for fraudulently obtaining a Payroll Protection Program (PPP) loan and loan forgiveness.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Dale Thrush, of Farwell, owned and operated several automotive repair service locations and a gas station. From approximately February 2021 through September 2021, Thrush defrauded the Small Business Administration (SBA) by falsely representing to a bank and the SBA in an application for a PPP loan that he was not subject to an indictment, when in fact he was, and then by seeking forgiveness of that loan. The PPP was enacted as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, a law designed to provide emergency financial assistance to the millions of Americans feeling the economic effects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Thrush is scheduled to be sentenced on July 17, 2025. He faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for wire fraud. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and U.S. Attorney Dawn Ison for the Eastern District of Michigan made the announcement.
IRS-Criminal Investigation is investigating the case.
Trial Attorneys Mark McDonald and Evan Mulbry of the Justice Department’s Tax Division are prosecuting the case.
This crime news article "Michigan Businessman Convicted of PPP Loan Fraud" was originally found on https://www.justice.gov/usao/pressreleases