LIVE DOWNTOWN DETROIT. LOCAL 4 NEWS AT 5 30 STARTS NOW. CARS JEWELRY, CASH, THEY WERE ABLE TO
CASH IN ON COVID, AND IT WAS THE
TAXPAYERS PAYING FOR THEIR
LIFESTYLE. WE’RE COMING FOR YOU
AND WE WILL FIND YOU. YEAH RIGHT
NOW. THERE ARE DOZENS OF ACTIVE
CASES OPEN IN THE DETROIT FBI
OFFICE, FOCUSING ON PEOPLE WHO
DEFRAUDED THE GOVERNMENT OVER
PANDEMIC MONEY. NOW, FOR SOME,
IT WAS FILING FAKE CLAIMS. FOR
EXAMPLE, THE PAYCHECK PROTECTION
PROGRAM WAS SUPPOSED TO HELP
THOSE SMALL BUSINESSES KEEP
WORKERS ON THE PAYROLL DURING
THE PANDEMIC. THE PROGRAM WORKED
FOR MANY, BUT AS YOU’LL SEE IT
REALLY WAS ABUSED. AT FIRST
GLANCE, THIS DETROIT HOME
DOESN’T GRAB YOUR ATTENTION
SAYING WITH US DOWNTOWN BUILDING
, BUT THESE TWO LOCATIONS ARE
THE CENTER OF A MAJOR FRAUD.
HERE’S HOW IT WENT DOWN,
ACCORDING TO FEDERAL AGENTS,
DETROITER DARRYL BAKER,
DESCRIBED BY HIS ATTORNEY AS A
DEVOTED HUSBAND AND FATHER MADE
A TERRIBLE DECISION IN A
MISGUIDED BID TO PROVIDE FOR HIS
FAMILY. A BAKER TREATED THE
PAYCHECK PROTECTION PROGRAM KIND
OF LIKE A PERSONAL PIGGY BANK.
HE CREATED HIS OWN FAKE
BUSINESS. BY THE NAME OF MOTOR
CITY. SOLAR ENERGY AGENTS SAY
BAKER USED TO ADDRESSES FOR HIS
FAKE BUSINESS. THIS HOME ON
STOCKWELL AND THIS BUILDING ON
BAGLEY. CLAIMING HE HAD 68
EMPLOYEES TO PAY AND NEEDED THE
GOVERNMENT’S HELP DURING THE
PANDEMIC. HIS FAKE APPLICATION
WAS APPROVED AND HE WAS ABLE TO
OBTAIN A $590,000 PP PP LOAN ON
BEHALF OF MOTOR CITY SOLAR
ENERGY. FEDERAL AGENTS SAY BAKER
USED THE FUNDS TO PURCHASE TWO
CADILLAC ESCALADES, A DODGE
CHARGER AND A HUMMER. AND ALSO
WITHDREW APPROXIMATELY $172,000.
ARE LEGITIMATE BUSINESSES THAT
ARE IN DESPERATE NEED FOR MONEY
. EVENTUALLY BAKER WAS BUSTED
SENTENCED TO 24 MONTHS. BUT THE
LIST OF FRAUDSTERS IS LONG.
BRANDY HAWKINS IS ONE OF THEM
AND SHE WAS ACTUALLY HIRED TO
LOOK AT THE VERY CASES THAT SHE
EXPLOITED. HAWKINS WAS A
CONTRACT EMPLOYEE FOR THE STATE
OF MICHIGAN UNEMPLOYMENT
INSURANCE AGENCY. NOW IT WAS HER
JOB TO REVIEW PROCESS AND VERIFY
CLAIMS. HOW IS SHE ABLE TO GET
BY DOING THIS? SHE WAS ABLE TO
BYPASS CERTAIN REQUIREMENTS AND
THE SYSTEM TO AUTHORIZE THE
CLAIMS. ACCORDING TO THE FBI.
THE 40 YEAR OLD FRAUDULENTLY
DISPERSED ABOUT 3.8 MILLION IN
FEDERAL AND STATE FUNDS WHEN HER
HOME WAS SEARCHED OVER 200,000
BUCKS IN CASH WAS SEIZED SO THAT
SHE COULD LINE HER POCKETS WITH
CASH AND BUY LUXURY HANDBAGS AT
THE DETRIMENT AS I SAID TO
PEOPLE WHO ARE REALLY IN NEED
WAS SENTENCED TO 58 MONTHS.
MICHAELA TAYLOR AND JOHNNY
RICHARDSON WERE CONVICTED AFTER
MAKING SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS LIKE
THESE BRAGGING ABOUT CARS AND
JEWELRY THEY PURCHASED. THE FEDS
SAY THE TWO TEAMED UP WITH
HAWKINS, RESULTING IN AT LEAST
$683,000 BEING FRAUDULENTLY
DISPERSED CRIMINAL SOMETIMES
LIKE TO BRAG AND BOAST TO THEIR
DEMISE. YES. IT SEEMS LIKE
THAT’S WHAT HAPPENED HERE. IN
THIS CASE, RICHARDSON WAS
SENTENCED TO 97 MONTHS. TAYLOR
SENTENCED 30 MONTHS IN PRISON.
THE MESSAGE FROM THE U. S
ATTORNEY’S OFFICE. WE’RE COMING
FOR YOU AND WE WILL FIND YOU.
AND ONCE WE DO, WE WILL HOLD YOU
A COMMENT ABOUT THE FBI WAS ABLE
TO SEIZE THOSE FOUR LUXURY CARS
THAT WE MENTIONED ALSO ABLE TO
SEE SOME OF THE MONEY AS WELL.
NOW, WHEN I SAT DOWN WITH
AGENTS, THEY DID TELL ME THEY
HAVE A LONG LIST OF OTHER METRO
DETROITERS. THEY ARE
INVESTIGATING RIGHT NOW. WHO
HAVE BEEN SCAMMING THE
GOVERNMENT IN RELATED PANDEMIC
SCAM, SO DEFINITELY STAY TUNED.
THERE COULD BE MANY MORE ARRESTS
. AND YOU KNOW IT WAS
INTERESTING. TODAY I GOT TWO
TIPS FROM WDIV’S VIEWERS WHO
ACTUALLY EMAILED ME AND TOLD ME
ABOUT THEIR BOSS AND THEIR TWO
COMPANIES THAT DID A B PP SCAM.
SO I SAID ALL THAT INFORMATION
TO THE FBI THIS AFTERNOON SO YOU
CAN ONLY IMAGINE HOW MANY ARE
OPEN BECAUSE IT JUST OPENED THE
DOOR. AND YET IT’S GOOD TO KNOW
THAT THEY WERE KIND OF READY FOR
THIS ALMOST AND THEY WERE
CATCHING THIS AS IT WENT ALONG.
I MEAN, IT’S A SHAME IT
HAPPENED, BUT THEY’RE DEFINITELY
ATTACKING SO AGAIN, IF YOU GUYS
KNOW OF ANYTHING THAT’S GOING ON