Ohio man pleads guilty to COVID relief fraud, applied for 2 loans while in prison

CINCINNATI (WKRC) — A man in Ohio who filed for relief money under the Paycheck Protection Program pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud, and faces 20 more years in prison.

Willie Boyce, 41, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Cincinnati on Monday. He agreed to pay $41,040 in restitution, in addition to any prison time he may serve.

Boyce reportedly applied for two PPP loans in April 2021, claiming he owned a business that provided taxi and ridesharing services.

In the applications, Boyce claimed he had a gross income of $98,500 in 2019.

But there was one big discrepancy: The fact Boyce was in prison for the entirety of that year.

Boyce used his halfway house address as the address for the business and submitted a forged bank statement, sources say. He was released to the halfway house in September 2020.

Boyce was first accused of fraudulently applying for PPP loans in February 2023.

Investigators said he spent the money on Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Expedia, Hampton Inn, and Delta Airlines.

He originally faced four counts of wire fraud.