The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado announced today that Mathew Barr, 50, of Aurora, was indicted by a federal grand jury on six counts of wire fraud and two counts of money laundering in connection with schemes to defraud a surveying company and programs intended to provide emergency relief funds during the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to the indictment, from June 2019 to November 2022, Barr allegedly defrauded SurvWest, LLC, a surveying company in which he was the majority shareholder, the U.S. attorney’s office said.
Barr obtained more than $843,452 for his personal benefit, including funds used to purchase an Aston Martin convertible, a Land Rover Range Rover Sport, and a Mercedes-Benz G63, the department reported.
The indictment also alleges that Barr participated in a scheme to defraud the Small Business Administration and other entities to obtain over $2.3 million in emergency COVID-19 relief funds, the department stated.
On July 11, 2023, the U.S. attorney’s office for the District of Colorado was selected by the Attorney General to lead one of five national COVID-19 Fraud Strike Force Teams, the department explained.