Woodbridge residents ordered to pay for defrauding Paycheck Protection Program

U.S. Department of Justice: “On September 7, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia entered a judgment that ordered Bernice Suppey, 40, and Kwaku Adubofour, 42, of Woodbridge, to pay $336,356 based on their fraudulent applications for multiple loans through the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) Paycheck Protection Program (PPP).”

“The PPP offered loans to eligible small businesses for economic relief during the COVID-19 pandemic. PPP borrowers were required to provide their income and supporting documents to calculate and confirm the loan amount. ”

“Suppey and Adubofour obtained four PPP loans by submitting applications with inflated income and fabricated tax documents to SBA-authorized lenders. Based on these fraudulent applications, the Court found Suppey and Adubofour liable for violating the False Claims Act, conspiring to violate the False Claims Act, and for violating the Financial Institutions Reform, Recover, and Enforcement Act (FIRREA).”

“The outcome in the case was the result of a coordinated effort between the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia and the Small Business Administration’s Office of Litigation. “

“The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys William Hochul III and Kristin Starr. The case caption is United States v. Suppey, No. 1:22-cv-00279-CMH-IDD.”