A Mesa couple accused of fraudulently obtaining more than $13 million in pandemic relief made their initial appearance in federal court last week.
The couple are accused of defrauding the U.S. government’s Paycheck Protection Program.
Jason and Kimberly Coleman of Mesa have been indicted on 62 counts, including fraud, conspiracy and money laundering. They are among nine local defendants accused of a scheme that netted about $23 million in PPP loans.
According to indictments, the Mesa couple submitted or assisted in loan applications on behalf of numerous alleged businesses, seeking loans up to $2.2 million for each company.
The defendants allegedly spent the money on expensive items such as cars and property.
Assistant U.S. attorneys from the district of Arizona will be in charge of prosecutions for these cases.
