WHEELING, W.Va. — A former Wheeling business owner now living in Florida has admitted to fraudulently obtaining nearly $300,000 in federal COVID-19 relief funds, according to U.S. Attorney Matthew L. Harvey.
Bradley Temple, 48, of Delray Beach, Fla., formerly of Wheeling, pleaded guilty to unlawful money transactions. Court documents and statements made in court say Temple operated Righteous Brother’s Trucking and applied for and received both a Paycheck Protection Program loan and an Economic Injury Disaster Loan authorized by the CARES Act to help small businesses and individuals facing financial hardship during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Temple made false representations about the business to obtain $277,456 in loans, authorities said. He then used the money for personal or nonpermissible expenses, including obtaining a $40,000 cashier’s check to purchase a vehicle.
Temple faces up to 10 years in prison and will be required to pay restitution. A federal district court judge will determine the sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Conklin is prosecuting the case.
