The CEO of Williston-based Airsign Airship Group was sentenced in federal court Tuesday for defrauding the federal government of about $7.8 million meant to help average Americans during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Patrick Parker Walsh, 42, of Williston, Florida, was sentenced to five and a half years in federal 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. But Waid said Walsh’s intent was to save his business and help his employees.
Prosecutors painted a different picture. Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin M. Keen said up to $2 million may have covered payroll due to any pandemic-related slowdown in his business, but Walsh used the rest for his own benefit.
“He stole the money and got it by fraud. Theft is theft,” Keen said...
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