Tampa man sentenced to federal prison for $500K in COVID loan fraud

A Tampa man who pleaded guilty to stealing more than $500,000 in COVID relief funds was sentenced to 30 months in federal prison on Thursday. 

Terrance Bradford, 47, plead guilty in August to eight counts of wire fraud, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney's Office. He also faces a forfeiture order of $533,648.52 — the amount investigators say was stolen through multiple false applications for COVID relief loans.

According to court records, Bradford defrauded the Small Business Administration by submitting multiple false Economic Injury Disaster Loan and Paycheck Protection Program loan applications between April 2020 and March 2021. 

At the time he was applying for the loans, Bradford, say authorities, was excluded from receiving any federal contracts and one of his businesses had filed for bankruptcy. This precluded him from receiving any economic assistance, court records show.

The office did not specify Bradford’s occupation. 

The PPP and EIDL loan programs fall under the umbrella of the Coronavirus Aid Relief and Economic Security Act. In May 2021, the Attorney General established a COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud.