Two Venezuelan nationals living in South Florida have been charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud and money laundering, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

The charges stem from their alleged scheme to defraud the U.S. government-funded Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), which was established to provide financial relief to small businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. Attorney's Office said.

Freddy Urribarri, 42, and Mairilin Munoz, 39, were residing in Dania Beach at the time of their arrests.

Alleged fraudulent PPP loan scheme uncovered

According to the indictment and statements made in court, Urribarri and Munoz, who were granted Temporary Protected Status, submitted false PPP loan applications using fraudulent tax documents. They allegedly inflated their company's income and employee numbers to secure approximately $438,000 in loans.

After receiving the loan proceeds, the defendants allegedly attempted to conceal the nature of the funds. Munoz conducted financial transactions exceeding $10,000 with the fraudulent money, and they submitted false tax documents to seek PPP loan forgiveness, authorities said.

COVID-19 fraud task force cfforts

The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Hayden P. O'Byrne of the Southern District of Florida and Acting Special Agent in Charge José R. Figueroa of Homeland Security Investigations, Miami Field Division.

The investigation into Urribarri and Munoz's alleged fraud resulted from efforts by the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force, established on May 17, 2021, to combat pandemic-related fraud. The task force coordinates resources across government agencies to identify and prosecute major fraud cases, including those involving relief programs.

Doug Myers is a digital content producer for CBS Texas. A longtime journalist, Doug has worked for four newspapers in Texas and Louisiana and for three television stations in Texas. He has also spent time as a digital content manager for a national trade association and as communications director for a state agency.