July 26, 2026 – SAN FRANCISCO, CA – IGEL Technology Corporation, a multinational software company with a
North American headquarters in San Francisco, has agreed to pay a total of $3,168,901.75 to settle allegations that it knowingly violated the False Claims Act when it received and retained a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan in violation of PPP rules.
Congress created the PPP in March 2020, as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, to provide emergency financial support to the millions of Americans suffering the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The CARES Act authorized billions of dollars in forgivable loans to small businesses struggling to pay employees and other business expenses. Applicants for a “first-draw” PPP loan were required to certify that they met certain size standards based on, for example, the number of employees that they employed, including in most cases employees of any U.S. and foreign affiliates.
The United States alleged that IGEL’s North American affiliate, claiming to have only 105 employees, applied for and obtained a first-draw PPP loan in June 2020, even though the company was not eligible because it exceeded the size standards when including affiliated entities, including its multinational parent company. According to the United States, despite knowing that it was not eligible for the first-draw loan, IGEL also sought and obtained forgiveness of the loan.
United States Attorney Craig H....
Al-Mustapha Dismisses Ex-DSS Officer’s Account of Abacha’s Death, Says Claims Are False Former Chief Security Officer to the late Head of State, Gen. Sani Abacha, Maj. Hamza Al-Mustapha (retd.), h...