Woodbridge Residents Defrauded PPP, Must Pay $336K: Court Ruling

WOODBRIDGE, VA — Two Woodbridge residents must pay $336,356 after prosecutors accused them of defrauding the Small Business Administration's Paycheck Protection Program during the pandemic.

The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia entered the judgement on Sept. 7.

In a news release, the U.S. Attorney's Office identified the Woodbridge residents as 40-year-old Bernice Suppey and 42-year-old Kwaku Adubofour.

Prosecutors said the pair obtained four PPP loans by using falsified documents. Their applications included inflated income levels and fake tax documents, according to court documents.

"The Paycheck Protection Program has been a critical lifeline to small businesses and workers during the COVID-19 crisis,” U.S. Attorney Jessica Aber said in a news release. “EDVA is committed to using all enforcement tools – both civil and criminal – to hold accountable anyone who took advantage of the program for personal gain.”

The U.S. District Court determined that Suppey and Adubofour violated the False Claims Act and the Financial Institutions Reform, Recover, and Enforcement Act.

Therese Meers is the general counsel for the Small Business Administration.

"This recovery is a direct result of the concerted efforts of SBA and the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia to investigate claims of fraud in SBA’s COVID-relief programs and to recover funds lost through fraud from individuals and companies that engage in such activities," Meers said in a news release.