BUCKHANNON, W.Va. — A Buckhannon man has pleaded guilty for conspiring to steal public money, property or records.
Christopher Grant, 40, plead guilty to the charges on Monday, admitting that he fraudulently received $14,336 in unemployment funds and $20,832 in a Paycheck Protection Program loan.
Grant was a sales manager at an auto dealership in Charleston, but when COVID-19 hit, Grant was laid off. When Grant was laid off in March 2020, he received legitimate unemployment benefits until he returned to work in April 2020.
Once Grant returned to work, he continued to apply for unemployment benefits and admitted to obtaining $14,336 in benefits that included COVID-19 supplementary funds from the Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation Program (FPUC) of the CARES Act from at least April 25, 2020, through July 25, 2020.
Grant fraudulently obtained the $20,832 on March 21, 2021, when he applied for a PPP loan for the income he earned as an independent contractor for the year before. Grant falsely submitted that he earned $104,580 in 2020 as an independent contractor, a total that would qualify him for maximum loan amount of $20,832 for independent contractors. In reality, Grant had earned $33,900 as an independent contractor in 2020.
Grant admitted that the money he fraudulently obtained was used for purchases and to pay his bills.
Grant faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, a maximum of three years of supervised release, and a 250,000 fine. Grant will also owe 35,168 in restitution.
He is scheduled to be sentenced on November 14, 2024.