BRIDGEPORT, W.Va. — An FBI investigation found a Bridgeport man had accepted over half a million dollars in fraudulent COVID-19 relief funding.
James Nolte, 52, pled guilty Tuesday to one count of wire fraud and is now facing up to 20 years in prison.
According to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of West Virginia, Nolte admitted to receiving $645,747 in fraudulent loans from the CARES Act Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) for businesses he reportedly owned by falsely representing wages, staff, and tax returns. The businesses were PGO Veterans Services, PG Health, RJS Catering, and Dental Care Plus.
Nolte’s sentencing will come at a later date.