BUFFALO, N.Y. — On Wednesday, an Oklahoma woman pleaded guilty in the Western District of New York for a scheme to defraud the Paycheck Protection Program of over $43.8 million in COVID-19 relief loans.
Amanda J. Gloria, 45, of Altus, OK, admitted to conspiring to submit at least 153 fraudulent PPP applications seeking a total of approximately $43.8 million on behalf of at least 111 entities between approximately May 2020 and June 2021.
She also admitted to falsifying or aiding and assisted with falsifying information on loan applications, including things like number of employees, payroll expenses and documentation, and federal tax filings. She admitted to aiding in the submission of the applications.
A total of $32.5 million in PPP funds were obtained and Gloria personally received approximately $1.7 million.
Gloria also admitted to conspiring with Adam D. Arena to submit a fraudulent PPP loan application for ADA Auto Group LLC, which was previously run by Arena and based in Florida, for approximately $954,000. When the money was received, Gloria directed Arena to launder the proceeds to an account held in the name of WildWest Trucking LLC, an Oklahoma-based business owned and controlled by Gloria.
Gloria also admitted to submitting and obtaining a separate fraudulent loan for WildWest Trucking LLC for approximately $421,000.
Arena pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud and one count of engaging in a monetary transaction with criminally derived proceeds in a related case in November.
Gloria's sentencing is scheduled on July 20 and she faces up to 30 years in prison for conspiracy to commit bank fraud, as well as up to 10 years in prison for money laundering.
