Two Venezuelans Charged with Defrauding COVID-19 Relief Program in Florida

Two Venezuelan nationals living in Dania Beach, Florida, and granted Temporary Protected Status, have been charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, and money laundering for allegedly defrauding the federal Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) of approximately $438,000. Prosecutors allege Freddy Urribarri and Mairilin Munoz submitted multiple fraudulent loan applications, inflating their company's income and employee count, and provided false tax documents to secure and later seek forgiveness for the loans. After receiving the PPP funds, the pair reportedly attempted to conceal the nature of the money, with Munoz conducting transactions exceeding $10,000 using the fraudulent proceeds. The case is part of a broader crackdown by federal authorities targeting pandemic-related relief fraud, led by the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force. The defendants face multiple federal charges, and the indictment notes that all charges are currently accusations until proven in court.