File image of a Miami Police vehicle
A former Miami Police officer is facing up to 20 years in prison after pleading guilty in a COVID-19 relief fraud case.
Gregory Dennis, 45, pleaded guilty to wire fraud in connection with two fraudulent applications for Paycheck Protection Program loans he submitted to a Small Business Administration approved PPP lender while he was still employed with the police department, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida said in a news release Wednesday.
Prosecutors said Dennis claimed to be the operator of a cleaning service in a 2021 PPP loan application, which included a fraudulent IRS Form 1040.
As a result of the fraudulent application, Dennis obtained a $20,833 PPP loan, prosecutors said.
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Two weeks later, he submitted a second fraudulent PPP loan application, which was approved for an additional $20,833, prosecutors said.
Dennis, who had been with the department since May of 2013, had been relieved of duty without pay.
He now faces up to 20 years in prison at sentencing, which is scheduled for June 13.
