FL Man Guilty Of COVID Relief Fraud: U.S. DOJ

TAMPA, FL — A federal jury found a Riverview man guilty of charges related to COVID-19 relief fraud.

Alexander Alli, 39, faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison on each charge of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and two counts of wire fraud, according to a U.S. Department of Justice news release.

He was indicted on Jan. 18, 2023, and his sentencing hearing will take place June 10.

Alli submitted a fraudulent Economic Injury Disaster Loan application to the Small Business Administration.

He falsely claimed that he had a business suffering from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and said that the EIDL funds would be used for business-related purposes, the DOJ said.

Alli’s business, however, had shut down prior to the start of the pandemic and was no longer operating at the time his EIDL application was submitted.

The SBA approved his fraudulent application and Alli received about $82,500 in EIDL funds, which he spent on non-business related expenses, the DOJ said.