Florida Man Sentenced to Serve Three Years in Federal Prison for COVID Relief Loan Fraud

OKLAHOMA CITY – Yesterday, ADONIJAH LINDSAY, 39, of Miami, Florida, was sentenced to serve 36 months in federal prison for wire fraud, announced U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester.

On August 16, 2023, a federal grand jury returned an Indictment, which charged Lindsay with two counts of wire fraud. According to the Indictment, on June 24, 2020, Lindsay applied to the Small Business Administration (SBA) for an Economic Injury Disaster Loan, which provided loans to small businesses affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Indictment alleges that in the loan application, Lindsay claimed to own a business with revenue of more than $200,000 in 2019. In fact, Lindsay did not own a business, had spent most of 2019 incarcerated in federal prison, and applied for the loan while in a Bureau of Prisons residential reentry center in Florida. Based on his false statements, Lindsay’s application was approved by the SBA for a $75,000 loan, which was disbursed to a banking account in his name in Enid, Oklahoma in June 2020.

On January 10, 2024, Lindsay pleaded guilty to the Indictment, and admitted he provided false information to defraud the SBA.

At the sentencing hearing yesterday, U.S. District Judge Joe Heaton sentenced Lindsay to serve 36 months in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release. Judge Heaton also ordered Lindsay to pay $75,000 in restitution to the SBA. In announcing his sentence, Judge Heaton noted that Lindsay committed his offense while still in federal custody on a prior conviction for armed robbery. Judge Heaton further noted that Lindsay had conspired in additional fraudulent COVID relief loan applications—totaling more than $400,000—and in doing so, took advantage of a “genuine public health emergency.”

This case is the result of an investigation by the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee (PRAC). The PRAC was established to promote transparency and facilitate coordinated oversight of the federal government’s COVID-19 pandemic response. The PRAC’s 20-member Inspectors General identify major risks that cross program and agency boundaries to detect fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement in the more than $5 trillion in COVID-19 spending, including spending via the Paycheck Protection Program and EIDL program. The PRAC’s Pandemic Analytics Center of Excellence applies the latest advances in analytic and forensic technologies to help OIGs and law enforcement pursue data-driven pandemic relief fraud investigations.

Assistant U.S. Attorney D.H. Dilbeck prosecuted the case.

Reference is made to public filings for additional information.