Tech exec sentenced to 2 years for $1.8 million COVID fraud

SEATTLE (AP) — A Washington state tech executive has been sentenced to two years in prison after fraudulently obtaining nearly $1.8 million in federal COVID-19 disaster relief loans. Mukund Mohan, of Clyde Hill, was making more than $200,000 a year as the chief of technology for the Canadian e-commerce company BuildDirect when he was arrested in July 2020. The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Seattle says he submitted eight fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program loans seeking $5.5 million for companies he purportedly ran, and he actually received almost $1.8 million. Mohan’s attorneys say his actions were such an aberration for him that he fainted when federal agents knocked on his door.