Manassas business owner, Bealeton man plead guilty to stealing over $7M in COVID-19 relief funds

Prince William Times: “A Manassas business owner and a Bealeton man pleaded guilty Friday to conspiring to defraud banks and the federal Small Business Administration of more than $7 million in COVID-19 relief funds – money that was used to invest in cryptocurrency, buy vehicles, make mortgage payments, fund home renovations, pay private high school and college tuition bills and buy items on Amazon, according to court documents.”

“Between April 2020 and March 2021, Bennie Earl Magee, 54, of Manassas, falsified payroll records, created fake IRS business tax returns and submitted falsified revenue reports for multiple companies to lenders and the SBA to obtain more than $7 million in Paycheck Protection Program and Economic Injury Disaster Loans for himself and his friend and co-defendant Michael Gilcher, 45, of Bealeton, according to court documents.”