A Washington D.C. pastor is facing 20 years in prison after he allegedly used the Paycheck Protection Loan to make fraudulent purchases which included 39 cars.
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The U.S. Justice Department wrote in a press release stating 45-year-old Pastor Rudolf Brooks Jr. was arrested in early April after he allegedly used the PPP loan to make luxury purchases. The release says he received $1.5 million from the program and he also stashed away $2.2 million in various bank accounts. Officers said he purchased multiple luxury vehicles which included a 2018 Tesla Model 3, a 2014 GMC Yukon XL, two 2017 Infiniti Q50s, a 2005 Bentley Continental, and others as reported by The Christian Post.
Brooks is the owner of a car dealership under the name Cars Direct By Gavawn HWD Bob’s Motors and was listed on Oct. 2010 by the Maryland State Department of Assessment and Taxation. However, the company ended in 2012 and was revitalized during the coronavirus pandemic in May of last year. He allegedly filed for the form fraudulently during that time and also filed another form to claim unemployment for his employees. Documentation filed by the Justice Department claims there were no records of the car dealership issuing payment to their employees.
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The outlet also noted that Brooks allegedly applied for an Economic Injury Disaster Loan for Cars Direct. He claimed the company earned $148,000 and goods were sold at a total of $82,000 before the pandemic in 2019.
If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in prison for the crime.