PEORIA, Ill. – A Peoria man received a probation sentence of three years in a federal court Monday for making false statements relating to the federal Paycheck Protection Program.
25-year-old Andre K. Johnson must also serve six months of home detention and pay restitution of $30,586.05.
Johnson pleaded guilty in June to one count of making a false statement to obtain a PPP loan, after being indicted in March. He obtained PPP funds fraudulently by submitting a false application, along with a fraudulent PPP loan forgiveness application.
He was also charged with three counts of wire fraud, but those charges were dropped in exchange for his guilty plea to one count of making a false statement.
Johnson claimed to be self-employed who was the sole proprietor of a wholesale jewelry and watch store with a taxable gross income of $100,000 on his loan application. He also attempted to obtain $26,000 in unemployment benefits in the states of Illinois, Indiana, Pennsylvania, and California.
He could have received a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine.
