SCRANTON, PA — Daniel Wasielewski, a 58-year-old resident of Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, has been charged with wire fraud in a criminal information filed on July 28, 2023.
According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, the information alleges that Wasielewski filed and assisted others in filing fraudulent applications for pandemic stimulus funds, including under the Payment Protection Program (PPP), for Economic Injury and Disaster Loans (EIDLs), and for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) benefits. The PPP and EIDL applications allegedly submitted by Wasielewski and his confederates were filed on behalf of corporate entities that did not, in fact, have actual business operations, and that bore false revenues and other business information. The applications also included forged IRS tax documents.
Wasielewski allegedly received approximately $350,000 in PPP, EIDL, PUA, and other fraudulently-obtained funds, for himself and others. Instead of using the funds on business expenses, Wasielewski and others allegedly used them to purchase cryptocurrency and on other personal expenses.
The case was investigated by the United States Postal Inspection Service. Â Assistant U.S. Attorneys Phillip J. Caraballo and Sean Camoni are prosecuting the case.
The maximum penalties under federal law for the charge of wire fraud is 20 years of imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.
Informations are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.
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