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3 Metro Atlanta residents sentenced to prison in multi-million dollar COVID fraud – WSB-TV Channel 2

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ATLANTA — Three Georgia men have been sentenced to prison for their part in a multimillion-dollar COVID-19 Paycheck Protection Program fraud scheme.

Teldrin Foster, 42, of Atlanta, John Gaines, 59, of Marietta, and Carla Jackson, 56, of Tucker, are just three of the 23 people who have been convicted and sentenced in the scam.

According to United States Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan, from April 2020 to August 2020, Foster worked with co-defendant Darrell Thomas and others to obtain at least 14 fraudulent loans.

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Each of the 14 businesses received a PPP loan of between $700,000 and $850,000, for a total of more than $11 million.

The PPP loan applications indicated that each business had between 59 and 69 employees and generated between $295,000 and $342,000 in average monthly payroll expenses.

However, the reality was that none of the companies had any employees or payroll costs.

Foster was sentenced to 10 years and one month in prison, followed by three years of supervised release.

He was also ordered to pay $9,606,627 in restitution.

Gaines was sentenced to five years and three months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release.

He was ordered to pay $806,710 in restitution.

Jackson was sentenced to three years in prison, followed by two years of supervised release.

She was ordered to pay $335,238 in restitution.

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“Foster, Gaines, and Jackson, along with 20 other defendants who have already been convicted for their participation in this criminal scheme, took advantage of a relief program designed to keep small businesses afloat during the COVID-19 pandemic,” Buchanan said. “These defendants have been held accountable for depriving this program of funds that some of the most vulnerable people in our society desperately need. And their convictions send a clear message: fraud against the government will not be tolerated.”

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