An Upper Gwynedd woman has been federally indicted on charges stemming from an alleged pandemic assistance fraud scheme that targeted the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.
Elza Lipartiya, 27, and her sister, Dinara Sosa, 35, of Reisterstown, Maryland, were indicted on Aug. 8 on felony charges of wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud, according to a release from the Department of Justice on Friday. Lipartiya was arraigned on Thursday, officials said, following a raid at her home on South Broad Street on Wednesday.
Investigators allege Lipartiya and Sosa conspired to submit more than 25 PPP loan applications and more than 15 EIDL applications on behalf of multiple businesses, while providing false information to multiple financial institutions and the Small Business Administration in order to obtain pandemic benefits. Lipartiya and Sosa submitted fraudulent IRS forms, false representations regarding the applying entity’s average monthly payroll, and false representations regarding the number of employees for each of the purported businesses, according the release.
Officials did not provide an overall amount of funding obtained through the alleged scheme. A spokesperson for the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) declined to comment when contacted by North Penn Now.
If convicted, Lipartiya and Sosa face a maximum sentence of 30 years in federal prison on each count of wire fraud, though officials noted actual sentences are usually less than the maximum penalties.
The arrests are the result of a national COVID-19 fraud enforcement action, which saw 371 defendants arrested on more than $836 million in alleged fraud.
All suspects and defendants are innocent until proven guilty. This story was compiled using police reports, court records and the affidavit of probable cause.
See also:
Upper Gwynedd Woman Accused of Stealing $36,000 in Heirloom Jewelry from Neighbor
Woman Facing 1,300 Felony Charges for Embezzlement Scheme in Upper Gwynedd, Police Say
