(FOX40.COM) — 59-year-old Anthony West told the federal government he was a prolific entrepreneur. In loan applications, he claimed to own multiple businesses, including a freight logistics company, a car dealership and a multimedia company. In reality, these were shell companies with zero employees. That didn’t stop West from attempting to claim over a million from the federal Paycheck Protection Program, officials said,
On Monday, West pled guilty to one count of bank fraud and one count of aiding the filing of a false tax return, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of California announced in a news release.
From April 2020 through February 2021, West admitted to submitting false PPP loan applications to banks and submitting false Economic Injury Disaster Loan applications with the U.S. Small Business Administration. He also filed a false tax return claiming nearly $1 million in nonexistent revenues, in an attempt to make one of his businesses appear legitimate to the SBA, the attorney’s office said…