DENVER — A Centennial man has been sentenced to 30 months in federal prison for submitting false applications for COVID-19 relief funds.
Anthony Zaghab, 52, was sentenced for committing wire fraud by obtaining hundreds of thousands of dollars in pandemic relief funds from April 2020 to February 2021.
According to the plea agreement, Zaghab knowingly engaged in a scheme to defraud the state, the U.S. and a bank to obtain pandemic relief funds by submitting false and fraudulent applications.
Zaghab received $666,630 from the Small Business Administration after applying for an Economic Injury Disaster Loan and the Paycheck Protection Program, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. He submitted applications with false business information and used the majority of the payments for personal benefit.
Zaghab also applied for Pandemic Unemployment Insurance payments from the state for ineligible family members, including his sister and mother without their consent and his deceased father. He received $41,511 in benefits.
Zaghab was also ordered to pay $708,141 in restitution.
