Fresh Take Florida
A federal judge has sentenced the CEO of Airsign Airship Group to more than five years in prison for defrauding the government of more than $7.8 million meant to help average Americans during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
He is the brother-in-law of a former Florida lawmaker who resigned after he was accused of federal fraud, too.
Patrick Parker Walsh, 42, of Williston, Florida, was sentenced Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Gainesville to five and a half years in prison followed by three years of supervised release. He pleaded guilty to one charge of wire fraud and one charge of money laundering in August as part of a deal with prosecutors. He must also pay back the $7.8 million to the U.S. Small Business Administration.
Before his sentencing, Walsh choked back tears at times while addressing the court. He said he made a series of bad decisions.
“I tell my children that it’s in the moments when no one is watching that you can measure a man’s character,” Walsh said. “Unfortunately for me, when I was in that situation, I failed.”
Walsh’s attorney, Nicole Waid, said he saw the federal government loans as a way to save his business.
“His business skills are not the greatest. He took out high-interest loans and made some dumb choices,” Waid said. She said Walsh intended to save his business and help his employees.
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