Ex-Pleasanton Resident Found Guilty Of COVID Relief Fund Theft: Feds

PLEASANTON, CA — A former Pleasanton resident has pleaded guilty to federal charges in connection with COVID-19 relief fund theft, prosecutors said.

Javed Wahab, 53, pleaded guilty Thursday to theft of government property in connection with a scheme to steal funds designed to aid medical providers in the treatment of patients suffering from COVID-19, authorities said.

U.S. Attorney Stephanie M. Hinds announced the guilty plea with Steven J. Ryan, a U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Inspector General’s San Francisco Regional Office special agent.

Wahab owned three businesses (Premier Home Health Care & Hospice, Inc., Carelink Hospice Services, Inc., and JW Healthcare, Inc.) that provide home health and hospice care in Alameda County among other areas.

The three businesses received approximately $285,000 designated for the medical treatment and care of COVID-19 patients, of which Wahab admitted he stole $186,516.72, prosecutors said.

The charges against Wahab resulted from his intentional misuse of funds distributed from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act Provider Relief Fund, money specially apportioned by the CARES Act to help health care providers who were financially impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic to provide care to patients who were suffering from COVID-19, and to compensate providers for the cost of that care.

On September 1 a federal grand jury indicted Wahab, charging him with five counts of theft of government property, of which he pleaded guilty to one. The four additional counts will be dismissed at sentencing if Wahab complies with the plea deal, prosecutors said.

Wahab is scheduled to be sentenced Aug. 25. Wahab faces a maximum statutory prison term of 10 years, a fine of up to $250,000 along with restitution and up to three years of supervised release, prosecutors said.

Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form here.