Former BK Man Spent COVID Funds On Life Coach, Saks Fifth Ave: Feds

NEW YORK CITY — A former Brooklyn man spent hundreds of thousands of ill-gotten COVID-relief funds on a life coach and luxury shopping at Saks Fifth Avenue, federal prosecutors said.

Patrick Poux pleaded guilty Tuesday to tax refund and COVID-relief schemes that garnered him nearly $3 million, according to prosecutors.

“It was money not well earned, or well spent,” said Breon Peace, the United States Attorney who pursued the case against Poux, in a statement. "The defendant admitted to preparing and filing false applications for millions of dollars’ worth of COVID-19 disaster relief ffunds and tax refunds and then spending that money on a life coach and luxury goods."

Poux originally hailed from south Brooklyn near Jamaica Bay, officials said. He moved to Snellville, Georgia at some point, authorities said.

Prosecutors said Poux's schemes began in 2016, when he and others used false wage and withholding information on income tax returns to obtain refunds. He created false tax returns for shell companies with no operations or even employees, authorities said.

The group submitted 250 claims that sought about $2.8 million in IRS tax refunds, prosecutors said.

And Poux didn't stop there, authorities said.

When the coronavirus pandemic struck in 2020, he applied for CARES Act loans and grants totaling $320,000, prosecutors said. He ultimately received $183,000 that he spent on a life coach and luxury goods from Saks Fifth Avenue, authorities said.

Poux's rich lifestyle ended when federal authorities investigated him, and brought him up on charges. He faces a fine up to $1 million and a maximum prison term of 30 years.