United States of America v. David Christopher Lewis

London, Kentucky criminal law lawyer represented defendant charged with wire fraud, for obtaining Paycheck Protection Program loans under false pretenses.



AccorIn May 2020, David Christopher Lewis, age 49, submitted two fraudulent applications for Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans on behalf of Bubba Fest, LLC and Elite Artists Agency, LLC. Both businesses related to a "comic con”-style event called Bubba Fest that Lewis had organized in prior years. The Paycheck Protection Program was created as part of the CARES Act, a law passed in March 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Paycheck Protection Program loans were designed to provide an incentive for small businesses to keep workers on their payroll during the pandemic; these loans would be forgiven by the United States Small Business Administration, if the borrower established that loan proceeds were used for payroll, rent, or other approved business expenses. The amount of the loan was dependent on the business's payroll.



As part of his fraudulent PPP loan applications, Lewis provided the bank, First State Bank of the Southeast, with fake tax documents and payroll records misrepresenting the businesses' number of employees and payroll expenses. As a result, he obtained fraudulent a PPP loan for each business totaling $370,000. Evidence admitted at Lewis's sentencing hearing established that between May 26 and August 28, 2020, Lewis paid himself or his wife more than $100,000 of the PPP loan money. In his plea agreement, Lewis also admitted to obstructing the FBI's investigation of his crime by providing a sworn affidavit that lied about the existence and whereabouts of the businesses' employment and payroll records.



Under federal law, Lewis must serve at least 85 percent of his prison sentence. Upon his release from prison, he will be under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office for three years. In addition to the term of imprisonment, Lewis was ordered to pay $370,000 in restitution to First State Bank of the Southeast.



Carlton S. Shier, IV, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky, and Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Louisville Field Office jointly announced the sentence. The investigation was conducted by the FBI. The United States was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul McCaffrey.

Defendant was sentenced to 33 months in prison.