On February 21, 2024 Evan Perez, 35, was sentenced to 24 months in prison followed by two years of supervised release for obtaining approximately $720,000 in fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and Economic Injury Relief Disaster Loan Program (EIDL) loans in Charlotte, NC. Evan owned multiple barber schools and shops in Charlotte.
Evan conspired with others in a scheme from April 2020 to September 2021, to defraud the U.S. Small Business Administration by obtaining fraudulent COVID-19 disaster relief funds for businesses he controlled or was affiliated with.
Some of the businesses included Touch of Precision Barber Lounge, LLC, Augie’s Wish Foundation, EMP Haircare, LLC, E.M.P. Enterprises, LLC, T.O.P. Salon Suites Inc., Touch of Precision School of Barbering, Inc., and Roads to Success Early Learning Center, LLC.
Evan submitted PPP and EIDL loan applications and supporting documents that contained false and fraudulent information regarding Evan’s businesses’ income, number of employees, gross revenues, and expenses.
As a result of the fraudulent loan applications, Evan received approximately $720,000 in disaster relief funds. Evan was arrested in 2022 for the COVID-19 fraud scheme.
In January 2023, Evan pleaded guilty in federal court to money laundering conspiracy.
To date, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of North Carolina has prosecuted 28 individuals for defrauding government funding programs, such as the Unemployment Insurance benefit program, the PPP program, and the EIDL program, that were created or expanded during the pandemic to provide economic relief. These prosecutions have resulted in active prison sentences and the imposition of court-ordered restitution, fees, and fines
