The U.S. Department of Justice has charged two Lehigh Acres men, Lester John Parker Jr., 55, and Thakur Sukhdeo, 38, in separate cases accusing them of defrauding the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) through COVID-relief scams. Both face serious federal charges and decades in prison if convicted.
Parker has been arrested and indicted on 15 counts, including conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering, access device fraud, monetary transactions in criminally derived property, aggravated identity theft, and wire fraud. The most severe charges, wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering, each carry up to 20 years in prison.
Sukhdeo is charged with wire fraud and illegal monetary transactions. He could face up to 30 years for each wire fraud count and 10 years for each illegal transaction count. Prosecutors also aim to seize his assets, including a 2018 Jaguar F-Pace, a 2020 GMC Sierra 3500 HD, and $414,000.
Both cases are part of a federal task force initiative aimed at cracking down on COVID-relief fraud. Since March 2020, the task force has prosecuted 89 individuals for $84.5 million in fraud. Parker’s charges stem from filing fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan applications, resulting in over $3 million in payouts. He is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Simon Eth, following an investigation by the U.S. Secret Service.
Sukhdeo’s scheme allegedly involved misrepresenting how funds from the SBA’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) would be used. Instead of using the $414,000 loan for his business, J.R. Handyman Pro’s LLC, prosecutors claim he purchased a luxury car and a truck for personal use.