FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Federal prosecutors accused a pair of brothers from South Florida of defrauding the government out of millions of dollars worth of COVID-19 relief money.
Carl Henry Charles, 43, of Miramar and Patrick Charles, 41, of Lake Worth, each face multiple counts of wire fraud in Fort Lauderdale federal court, officials said Friday.
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The fraud stretched over a period from March 2020 to December 2021, prosecutors said.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, the Charles brothers submitted Economic Injury Disaster Loan applications through the Small Business Administration seeking nearly $5 million for businesses that never existed before the pandemic and did not have any revenue or activity.
Prosecutors said the government ended up paying them $2.5 million in loan proceeds and advancements, which the pair used “to enrich themselves and others.”
Carl Charles faces up to 80 years in prison, while Patrick Charles faces up to 60 years behind bars, prosecutors said.