Turkish Citizen Living in the Pittsburgh Area Indicted on Fraud Charges

PITTSBURGH - A citizen of Turkey has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh on charges of committing mail and wire fraud, United States Attorney Cindy K. Chung announced today.

The two-count Indictment named Hakan Kantar, formerly of 3803 Wick Place, Wexford, PA 15090.

According to the Indictment, Kantar falsely represented that he was a citizen of the United States when he applied for and received a COVID-19 Economic Injury Disaster Loan from the Small Business Administration and unemployment benefits from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Due to his immigration status, Kantar was not eligible for either type of relief.

The law provides for a maximum total sentence of 60 years in prison, a fine of $2,000,000 or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offense and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.

Assistant United States Attorney Michael Leo Ivory is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.

The United States Postal Inspection Service conducted the investigation leading to the Indictment in this case.

For information about the Department of Justice’s efforts to stop illegal COVID-19-related activity, visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus.  For the most up-to-date information on COVID-19, consumers may visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and WHO websites. The public is urged to report suspected fraud schemes related to COVID-19 (the Coronavirus) to the National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) hotline by phone at (1-866-720-5721) or via an online reporting form available at https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/webform/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.  

An indictment is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.