David Hines, accused of fraudulently obtaining $ 3.9 million in federal aid for companies affected by Covid-19 and using some of the money to buy a Lamborghini car and indulge in other luxurious whims, he pleaded guilty in a South Florida court.
The hearing was held this Wednesday via Zoom and it was decided that Hines, a resident of Miami, will receive a sentence next April, according to local media on Thursday.
The case of Hines had a great echo in Florida, a state severely affected by the pandemic where there were many complaints about the difficulty and slowness of procedures to obtain federal aid.
Hines, who was 29 when he was arrested last July, was confiscated by Lamborghini Hurricane valued at $ 318,000 a year and the sum of $ 3.4 million in bank accounts.
According to information provided by the prosecution when he was arrested, Hines applied for non-refundable credits from the Wage Protection Program (PPP) on behalf of several companies for allegedly paying the wages of his workers during the closure of activities due to the pandemic.
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Hines was charged with one count of bank fraud, another of making a false statement to a financial institution and a third party for transactions with illegal profits.
He apparently applied for grants from the PPP program for up to $ 13.5 million on behalf of various companies and through a financial institution managed to get him disbursed $ 3.9 million.
But it raised suspicions and an investigation found that he had not paid any salary but had paid for the purchase of luxury items and for stays in Miami Beach hotels.