Criminal Defense Lawyers

San Francisco PPP – SBA – EIDL Loan Fraud Lawyers

Fighting PPP and EIDL Fraud Charges in San Francisco? Why You Need an Experienced Lawyer

The COVID-19 pandemic led to the creation of federal loan programs like the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program to help struggling small businesses. Unfortunately, some people have taken advantage of these programs by committing fraud. In San Francisco and nationwide, prosecutors are cracking down on cases of PPP and EIDL fraud. If you’re being investigated or charged, having an experienced lawyer on your side is critical.

What is PPP and EIDL fraud?

Common fraudulent activities include:

• Falsifying payroll numbers to get bigger PPP loans
• Using PPP funds for personal purchases
• Lying on EIDL applications

Defendants face charges like wire fraud, bank fraud, false statements, and money laundering. If convicted, they can face huge fines, having to pay back money, and years in federal prison.

Why hire an experienced lawyer?

A knowledgeable federal fraud defense lawyer can:

• Explain the complex charges and the prosecution’s burden of proof
• Negotiate to get charges reduced or dismissed before trial
• Challenge improper investigative techniques
• Develop defense strategies based on lack of intent, good faith mistakes, bad professional advice, etc.
• Select expert witnesses and conduct in-depth investigations
• Advise whether to go to trial or make a plea deal
• Present persuasive defenses and arguments in court
• Fight for the lowest possible sentence under federal guidelines

What laws are used in PPP/EIDL fraud cases?

Prosecutors often allege violations of laws like:

• Wire fraud
• Bank fraud
• False statements
• Money laundering
• Aggravated identity theft

Penalties can include huge fines, having to repay money, asset forfeiture, and years in prison. Your lawyer needs to fully understand these laws to build your defense.

What are possible defenses?

While the government may act like these are open-and-shut cases, a good lawyer can raise strong defenses like:

• You didn’t intentionally commit fraud
• No material false statements were made
• You reasonably relied on professional advice
• Evidence was obtained unconstitutionally
• You were entrapped or coerced

Your lawyer will analyze the facts to determine the best defenses for getting charges dismissed or winning at trial.

Conclusion

Facing PPP or EIDL fraud charges is extremely serious. Getting an accomplished lawyer right away is critical to protecting your rights, avoiding conviction, and minimizing penalties. Don’t delay in contacting an experienced federal fraud defense attorney for a free case review. They will aggressively defend you at every stage.

The COVID pandemic led the government to create programs like the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) to help small businesses. But some folks have abused these programs by committing fraud. Now prosecutors are cracking down on PPP and EIDL fraud cases across the country.If you’re being investigated or charged with this type of fraud, having a good lawyer on your side is really important. They can explain the charges you’re facing and start building a strong defense. This article talks about PPP and EIDL fraud, why you need a lawyer, defenses they can use, and more.

What is PPP and EIDL fraud?

Some common types of fraud include:

• Lying about payroll and number of employees to get bigger PPP loans
• Using PPP money for personal purchases instead of business expenses
• Making false statements on EIDL applications

Defendants often get charged with federal crimes like wire fraud, bank fraud, making false statements, or money laundering. The penalties can be huge – years in prison, massive fines, having to pay back the money, forfeiting assets, etc.

Why you need an experienced lawyer

Having a good lawyer is critical if you’re facing PPP or EIDL fraud charges. Here’s some of what they can do:

• Explain the complex charges and what the prosecution has to prove
• Try to negotiate with the prosecution to get charges dropped or reduced before trial
• Challenge any unconstitutional investigative techniques that were used
• Develop defense strategies based on things like not intentionally committing fraud, making honest mistakes, getting bad professional advice, etc.
• Select expert witnesses and dig deep into investigating your case
• Advise if you should go to trial or try to make a plea deal
• Present persuasive arguments in court defending you
• Fight to get the lowest sentence possible under the guidelines

A lawyer who knows these complex cases is really important for protecting your rights and avoiding conviction or minimizing penalties.

What laws are used to charge PPP/EIDL fraud?

Some of the main federal laws prosecutors use in these cases include:

• Wire fraud – Using interstate wires to commit fraud
• Bank fraud – Schemes to defraud a bank or get money through false statements
• False statements – Lying on loan applications or documents
• Money laundering – Shady financial transactions to hide where money came from
• Aggravated identity theft – Using someone else’s personal info without permission

The penalties under each law are different but can be very severe – prison time, big fines, repaying money, assets taken away, etc. Your lawyer needs to fully understand these laws to build the best defense.

What are possible defenses in these cases?

While the government acts like these are open and shut cases, a good lawyer can often raise strong defenses like:

• You didn’t intentionally commit fraud
• No false statements were actually made
• You reasonably relied on professional advice
• Evidence was obtained unconstitutionally
• You were coerced or tricked into committing fraud

A skilled lawyer will look closely at all the evidence and circumstances to figure out what viable defenses you may have. This can lead to charges being dismissed or winning at trial.

Bottom Line

Dealing with PPP or EIDL fraud charges is really serious and complicated. Having an experienced federal fraud defense lawyer is critical to protecting your rights, avoiding conviction, and reducing penalties. Don’t wait to contact a lawyer if you’re being investigated or charged – the sooner they can start building your defense, the better. They’ll aggressively defend you at every stage of the process.References:What to do if you’re billed for an SBA EIDL loan you don’t oweSBA EIDL LOAN FRAUD & ABUSEPPP and EIDL Loan Scams – Avoid these tactics!