Law enforcement gains ground in attacking PPP fraud cases

Facebook videos in hotel rooms strewn with $100 bills and luxury handbags. A brand new Mercedes. A $700,000, 40-foot catamaran.

That’s not a scene from lifestyles of the rich and famous. Instead, it’s the alleged lives of up to four people in the region charged in federal cases alleging PPP loan fraud and other misuse of government-backed COVID-19 loan programs. The cases, going back to September, include one jury conviction and one guilty plea so far.