An Orland Park man was among five people indicted last week by a federal grand jury in Chicago for allegedly fraudulently obtaining millions of dollars in small business loans and other benefits under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act.
Athanasios Intzes AKA “Tommy,” according to the indictment, was one of five men who allegedly engaged in fraud related to three Covid-relief programs, including the Paycheck Protection Program, Economic Injury Disaster Loan program, and Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program.
The indictment was unsealed last week in the Northern District of Illinois. It charged George Kavroulakis, 33, of Tinley Park, with nine counts of wire fraud; Intzes, 35, of Orland Park, with five counts of wire fraud; Adam Jaber, 34, of Chicago, with nine counts of wire fraud; Hassan Kurdi, 35, of Chicago, with four counts of wire fraud; and Abdallah Issa, 26, of Tinley Park, with four counts of wire fraud. Each count is punishable by up to 20 years in federal prison.
The defendants have pleaded not guilty to the charges. A status hearing is scheduled for Aug. 14, before U.S. District Judge Lindsay C. Jenkins.
The defendants used the money to buy multiple Mercedes-Benz vehicles and a Rolex Submariner watch, the indictment states.
The indictment alleges that the defendants defrauded lenders and the U.S. Small Business Administration of millions of dollars in PPP loans and EIDL funds. In 2020 and 2021, the defendants submitted numerous fraudulent applications on behalf of themselves, other individuals, and corporate entities purportedly owned by some of the defendants, the indictment states. The applications contained false statements and misrepresentations about the defendants’ companies, including the number of purported employees, revenue and payroll amounts, and other expenses, the indictment states.
The indictment further accuses Kavroulakis, Jaber, and Intzes of causing the disbursement of approximately $750,000 in fraudulent PUA benefits in Illinois and California. The defendants obtained the benefits by submitting materially false statements and misrepresentations regarding the unemployment status of themselves and others, the indictment states.
The indictment was announced by Andrew S. Boutros, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, Douglas S. DePodesta, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI, Robert Collins, Acting Special Agent-in-Charge of the Central Region, Small Business Administration, Office of Inspector General, and Megan Howell, Special Agent-in-Charge, Great Lakes Region, U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Edward A. Liva, Jr. and Beth E. Palmer.
Anyone with information about attempted fraud involving Covid-19 is encouraged to report it to the Department of Justice by calling the National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline at 866-720-5721 or filing an online complaint at https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.