DETROIT – A 46-year-old Detroit man was sentenced to 24 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to participating in a multimillion-dollar fraud scheme involving pandemic relief funds.
Jabari Long pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit wire fraud, according to court records and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan.
Prosecutors said Long used a contracting business called Priceless Preservations Construction to fraudulently obtain a $2.187 million Paycheck Protection Program loan and a $150,000 Economic Injury Disaster Loan.
Long claimed the business had 50 employees and an average monthly payroll of $875,000.
In reality, prosecutors said, the company had few, if any, employees and little to no payroll expenses.
Within weeks of receiving the pandemic assistance funds, Long used some of the money to purchase a four-bedroom home in Beverly Hills, according to court records.
Long also admitted as part of his guilty plea that he submitted false tax documents to obtain the loan funding.
The court ordered Long to pay $2,187,500 in restitution and serve three years of supervised release after completing his prison sentence.
Federal officials said Homeland Security Investigations and IRS Criminal Investigation investigated the case.
IRS Criminal Investigation Acting Special Agent in Charge Todd Strom said Long used fake tax documents and false business information to obtain more than $2 million in pandemic relief funds.
