UPSHUR COUNTY (WOAY) – An Upshur County man pled guilty to conspiracy to steal public money, property, or records.
40-year-old Christopher Grant from Buchannon admitted in court he fraudulently received over $14,000 in unemployment benefits, which included COVID-19 supplementary funds and a $20,832 paycheck from the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) by the Small Business Administration under the Coronavirus aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act.
According to statements and documents made in court, on March 25, 2020, Grant applied for unemployment when he was laid off as a sales manager at a Charleston auto dealership when the pandemic began. He received unemployment while he was gone and returned to work on April 18, 2020.
The issues began when he still applied for unemployment from April 25, 2020, to at least July 25, 2020, even though he was back to work.
He received around $14,336 in unemployment. Grant further admitted that on March 21, 2021, he applied for a PPP loan, which is for independent contractors.
Grant stated that he falsely reported he earned $104,580 in the prior tax year when he knew he only made $33,900. He stated that he lied to obtain the maximum amount of money of $20,832.
Grant will be sentenced on November 14 of this year – and faces up to 10 years in prison, 3 years supervised release, and a $250,000 fine. He also owes $35,168 in restitution.
