Serious accusations have been made against former Eagles player Wendell Smallwood Jr. for allegedly scamming COVID-19 assistance programs. According to Philadelphia Voice, Smallwood is charged with filing fraudulent loan applications and filing inflated tax returns in order to unfairly receive government economic assistance.
According to the Delaware Online, federal prosecutors have made specific allegations that Smallwood took advantage of the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL). According to reports, he conspired with others to divert $46,000 from the intended assistance for his business endeavors to personal spending during the pandemic.
According to Philadelphia Voice and Delaware Online, the former NFL running back is also accused of participating in kickback schemes, earning individual payments ranging from $4,000 to $12,000. These payments are connected to over $269,000 in PPP loans that were obtained unlawfully. Smallwood is accused of causing the IRS to issue false tax refunds in addition to the loan fraud. He is accused by prosecutors of falsifying returns totaling about $222,000, which resulted in false reimbursements of more than $110,000.
His lawyer, Mark B. Sheppard, promised cooperation with the investigation in an apparent attempt to lessen the severity of the legal consequences. “Wendell has given this investigation his complete cooperation. With an eye toward the future court hearings, Sheppard told Delaware Online, “We will have more to say when we appear in December.” Smallwood, who faces charges of conspiracy and wire fraud, anticipates appearing in federal court by late December for a plea hearing where the prosecution will consider its case.
More than 3,500 federal charges have been connected to pandemic relief crimes, and the case against Smallwood is only one example of the extensive fraud panorama surrounding COVID-19. Given that money intended for struggling individuals and businesses was siphoned by scammers, this level of dishonesty contrasts sharply with a society in dire need of legal assistance. According to 6abc, the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force of the Justice Department reported recovering more than $1.4 billion in stolen funds. But according to the SBA’s Office of Inspector General, this recovery is a small portion of the $200 billion that may have been connected to fraudulent COVID-19 relief activities.
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