SPOKANE, Wash — A man from Mead, Washington was sentenced to nearly four years in federal prison for stealing over $750,000 from COVID-19 relief programs.
According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of Washington, court documents revealed that 55-year-old Antonio Feliciano Crawford filed false and fake COVID-19 relief program applications on behalf of companies he owned. The attorney's office said Crawford submitted false and fake information and documentation, including "fictitious purported tax returns," which totaled over $186,000.
The attorney's office said Crawford also submitted false and fraudulent COVID-19 relief program applications for other people.
Investigators found a laptop that had false tax documentation and applications, which identified extra payments totaling over $565,000.
The attorney's office said Crawford caused a total loss of over $750,000.
Crawford was sentenced to 45 months in prison on bank fraud charges, followed by five years of supervised release. Crawford was also charged with restitution of over $200,000, a forfeiture of over $173,000 in cash that was seized when investigators searched his home. An extra $13,000 was forfeited when his car was forfeited.
