A man from the Slovak Republic has been sentenced to 38 months in prison for fraudulently obtaining pandemic relief loans, amounting to $738,118. U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Clark delivered the sentence and ordered repayment of the full amount.
Mark Ethan Jermain, while residing in Slovakia, submitted three fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan applications between April 26, 2020, and July 16, 2021. Using his previous legal name, Arsene Millogo, he applied for an $80,000 loan for Crazyeats LLC on April 26, 2020. This company was established by him in Missouri in 2017. On May 13, 2020, he sought $325,275 for another entity called Unimentors LLC. Following approval of this loan, Jermain filed a Second Draw PPP loan application for the same amount on February 5, 2021.
The funds were transferred to Slovakia and used for personal purchases rather than supporting American businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic as intended.
"Mark Ethan Jermain fraudulently applied for and received PPP loans for businesses that didn’t exist anywhere but on paper," stated FBI St. Louis Special Agent in Charge Ashley Johnson. "Furthermore, he used the identity of a former business partner, unbeknownst to the partner, to defraud the taxpayer-funded program out of nearly three quarters of a million dollars."
Jermain returned to the United States on August 17, 2023. He was indicted on August 30 and arrested by FBI agents on September 7 before he could leave the country again.
In June, Jermain pleaded guilty to three counts of wire fraud.
The case was investigated by the FBI and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Gwen Carroll.
Individuals with information about pandemic-related fraud are encouraged to contact the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline at 866-720-5721 or report via their online complaint form.