A Florida man was sentenced to more than six years in federal prison on Wednesday after using fraudulent COVID-19 relief checks to purchase a Lamborghini.
David Hines of Miami pled guilty to wire fraud on Feb. 10 after he used Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans to purchase a $318,000 Lamborghini Huracan. Hines was forced to return $3.4 million in fraudulently obtained PPP loans as part of his sentence.
Florida Man Sentenced After Fraudulently Obtaining $3.9 Million in PPP Loanshttps://t.co/3kUGVIlE7L
— Justice Department (@TheJusticeDept) May 12, 2021
Hines originally applied for $13.5 million in PPP loans. He claimed that he had to pay $4 million a month to 70 employees at four different companies. Instead, he used the $3.4 million he obtained to go on vacations, and purchase clothes, jewelry, and the Lamborghini. (RELATED: Seven Men Charged With Wire Fraud For Stealing COVID-19 Relief Checks To Buy Porsche, Lamborghini)
The Lamborghini Huracan is the Italian sports car brand’s entry-level model. The 631 horsepower engine reaches top speeds of over 200 miles per hour.
The Justice Department charged 60 people with stealing more than $62 million in PPP loans in 2020, according to the New York Times, although the real amount of stolen funds is possibly much higher.
A California man was charged in August 2020 after he allegedly gambled away thousands of dollars in PPP loans at the Bellagio in Las Vegas. A Florida man and a Pennsylvania man were arrested after they allegedly participated in a fraud ring that filed 90 PPP loan applications and received $17.2 million.