St. Louis man sentenced in coronavirus aid fraud scheme

ST. LOUIS (AP) — A 58-year-old St. Louis man has been sentenced to 10 years and five months in federal prison for lying on applications to receive $2.7 million in federal coronavirus aid. Prosecutors said Robert Williams lied on about 30 applications for his business. Another 23 people paid him a fee after he helped them file 23 more fraudulent applications for Paycheck Protection Program loans. Williams used the money for his personal expenses, including buying a Maserati and a Jaguar. Williams secured the loans despite a criminal history dating to the 1990s, including passing bad checks and identity theft. He was ordered to pay $1.2 million in restitution.