Orland Man, Others Lied For COVID Relief Loans, Used Money To Buy Luxury Cars, Watches: US Attorney

CHICAGO — A federal grand jury in Chicago this week indicted an Orland Park man and four other people on charges alleging they fraudulently obtained millions of dollars in small business loans and other benefits under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (“CARES”) Act.

Athanasios Intzes, George Kavroulakis, Adam Jaber, Hassan Kurdi and Abdallah Issa engaged in fraud related to the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), Economic Injury Disaster Loan program (EIDL), and Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program (PUA)—three sources of relief under the CARES Act, according to an indictment unsealed this week in the Northern District of Illinois.

The indictment charges Intzes, 35, of Orland Park, with five counts of wire fraud; Kavroulakis, 33, of Tinley Park, with nine counts of wire fraud; Jaber, 34, of Chicago, with nine counts of wire fraud; Kurdi, 35, of Chicago, with four counts of wire fraud; and Issa, 26, of Tinley Park, with four counts of wire fraud. Each count is punishable by up to 20 years in federal prison.

The defendants have pleaded not guilty to the charges. A status hearing is scheduled for Aug. 14, before U.S. District Judge Lindsay C. Jenkins.

The indictment alleges that the defendants defrauded lenders and the U.S. Small Business Administration out of millions of dollars in PPP loans and EIDL funds. In 2020 and 2021, the defendants submitted numerous fraudulent applications on behalf of themselves, other individuals, and corporate entities purportedly owned by some of the defendants, the indictment states. The applications contained materially false statements and misrepresentations about the defendants’ companies, including the number of purported employees, revenue and payroll amounts, and other expenses, the indictment states.

The indictment further accuses Kavroulakis, Jaber and Intzes of causing the disbursement of approximately $750,000 in fraudulent PUA benefits in Illinois and California. The defendants obtained the PUA benefits by submitting materially false statements and misrepresentations regarding the unemployment status of themselves and others, the indictment states.

Much of the fraud proceeds were used for the defendants’ personal benefit, including the purchase of multiple Mercedes-Benz vehicles and a Rolex Submariner watch, the indictment states.

Anyone with information about attempted fraud involving Covid-19 is encouraged to report it to the Department of Justice by calling the National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline at 866-720-5721 or filing an online complaint.