South Carolina man could face 20 years in federal prison for fake lawn care company

A Charleston man pleaded guilty in federal court Tuesday to fraudulently obtaining $81,600 in COVID-19 relief loans through a fake lawn care company.

Antonio Brown-Sanders, 26, pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud for falsely claiming that he owned a lawn care business in order to secure emergency loans designated for small businesses under the CARES act, according to a statement released by the United States Attorney’s Office, District of South Carolina.

He faces up to a 20 year sentence in federal prison and a fine of $250,000, according to the statement.

The original indictment said Brown-Sanders obtained two loans — for $10,000 and $71,600 — from the Small Business Administration.

The money was paid to Brown-Sanders’ Wells Fargo bank account in July 2020 after he submitted an application that “falsely represented the number of employees and gross revenues for the fraudulent lawn care business,” according to the US Attorney’s Office.

The money Brown-Sanders obtained was designated as an Economic Injury Disaster Loan. It was intended to aid businesses that had been financially harmed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a request to change the status of his detention, Brown-Sanders’ attorney, assistant federal defender Cody Groeber, said Brown-Sanders currently worked at a restaurant.

“He is also attempting to start his own business collecting and cleaning trash receptacles,” Groeber wrote, describing Brown-Sanders as the “sole provider for his household.”

After his arrest, Brown-Sanders was issued an unsecured bond but was placed under home detention and GPS monitoring, according to court records.

The case was investigated by the United States Secret Service and the Small Business Administration, Office of the Inspector General. Assistant United States Attorney Amy F. Bower prosecuted the case.

The guilty plea was accepted by United States District Judge Richard M. Gergel who will sentence Brown-Sanders after reviewing a sentencing report prepared by the United States Probation Office.