Soon after PPP loans started being disbursed, there were a number of fraudsters identified as having set up fictitious businesses to take advantage of these loans. The investigations and prosecutions are ongoing, and one reality TV star who got caught early on for scamming the government was recently sentenced to 17 years in prison and ordered to pay $4 million in restitution. Arkansas Mo (who lives in Georgia) used his defunct trucking company to get a $3.7 million PPP loan, which he used to fund a long-running Ponzi scheme, and to purchase a Rolex, a diamond bracelet, and a diamond ring somewhere around 6 carats (reports range from 5.75 to 7.73 carats). Mo appeared on Season 8 of VH1’s Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta. (www.fox5atlanta.com/news/love-hip-hop-atlanta-star-maurice-fayne-gets-17-years-in-fraud-case)
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