Business

Feds say couple used their Huntersville company in $2M COVID fraud scheme

Feb. 26. A federal indictment filed in US District Court in Charlotte charges Antoine Johnson, 48, and Kimberly Maddox, 43, formerly of Huntersville, with fraudulently obtaining approximately $2 million in bank loans and COVID-19 pandemic relief funds.

According to allegations in the indictment, the couple owned and operated Pick Up and Go Moving International, Inc. and affiliated businesses on Sam Furr Road.

Johnson was the president of PUGMI and Maddox the vice president. The indictment alleges that, between 2018 and 2023, the defendants fraudulently obtained multiple lines of credit, bank loans, Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans and Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program loans on behalf of their businesses totaling approximately $2 million.

To secure the loans, the couple allegedly lied on loan applications about PUGMI’s income, gross revenues, expenses, and number of employees, and submitted fabricated supporting documents that included fraudulent tax returns and fictitious financial statements.

Johnson and Maddox are charged with conspiracy to commit bank fraud and wire fraud and making false statements to a financial institution.

They face a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison and a $1 million fine.

The Feds are looking for COVID-19 fraud. Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.

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