GREENVILLE, N.C. (WNCN) — A Cary man pleaded guilty to a multi-million dollar fraud scheme, U.S. Attorney Michael Easley said in a release.
Quentin Allen Jackson, 56, plead guilty Wednesday to “conspiracy to commit money laundering with respect to the fraudulent proceeds of Paycheck Protection Act."
Jackson worked with others to get fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans under multiple businesses that are “under Jackson’s control,” according to Easley.
After Jackson received the PPP loans, he worked with co-conspirators to make it look like he was “paying bi-weekly payroll” to employees but these people either did not work for the companies or “they were not actually earning wages comparable to what was represented in the loan applications.”
Jackson then told those getting the checks to “to cash the checks, and then return the illicit cash to him."
Jackson also served as a middleman for his co-conspirators, Easley said. He earned a fee for “each additional fraudulent borrower he recruited.”
And he recruited more than 12 people who got fraudulent PPP loans.
“The defendant took money meant to help small businesses struggling during the pandemic,” said Easley. “We will vigorously pursue criminals who lined their pockets with taxpayer money while the pandemic crippled local businesses.”
Jackson and his co-conspirators took almost $4 million in fraudulent PPP loans, Easley said.
Jackson is set to be sentenced next year.
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