Oakland County Man Defrauds Government Of $2M: Feds

BEVERLY HILLS, MI — An Oakland County man has pleaded guilty in a $2 million pandemic fraud scheme, according to federal officials.

Jabari Long, 45, of Beverly Hills, pleaded guilty to wire fraud affecting a financial institution. In exchange for the guilty plea, prosecutors dismissed two other charges.

He will be sentenced on July 28 and faces up to 30 years in prison. He also faces a $1 million fine.

In May 2020, officials said Long submitted applications to the U.S. Small Business Administration for Paycheck Protection Program loans and Economic Injury Disaster Loans during the Coronavirus pandemic for companies that didn't exist.

Specifically, Long received $2,187,000 in federal loans for Priceless Preservations Construction, a company that Long claimed had 50 employees and an average monthly payroll of $875,000, officials said.

However, officials said Priceless Preservations Construction had few, if any, employees and little to no payroll expenses.