A former Columbus resident has pleaded guilty to fraudulently obtaining and using more than $1 million in applications for federal COVID-19 relief loans for businesses.
James P. Dawson, 40, pleaded guilty Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Columbus to wire fraud and making false statements related to five coronavirus relief Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans and four Economic Injury Disaster loans (EIDL).
Dawson, who currently resides in Orlando, Florida, formerly resided on Columbus' Northeast Side near New Albany.
According to court documents, between April 2020 and October 2020, Dawson submitted five fraudulent applications to obtain PPP loans, two of which were approved and funded for an undisclosed amount.
He also submitted four fraudulent applications to obtain the EIDL loans, none of which were funded. But in three of those loans, he received advances on a claim to which he was not entitled, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Ohio.
All told, Dawson sought more than $1.1 million in fraudulent loans, and lenders disbursed over $200,000 as a result, federal prosecutors say.
The bogus PPP applications misstated the operations of businesses he was involved with, including monthly payroll expenses and number of employees.
One of the businesses, Stadium Bar LLC, opened as a sports bar at 101 Mill St. in Gahanna's Creekside development. Dawson, who identified himself as a co-owner of the business, certified as he did with other false...
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