| Kukaj
Pleads Guilty to PPP Loan Fraud and Threat
and Gets 70 to 87 Deal, No Redaction
By Matthew
Russell Lee, Patreon Maxwell
Book
BBC
- Guardian
UK - Honduras
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SDNY COURTROOM
EXCLUSIVE, Nov 1 - In
the U.S. District Court for
the Southern District of New
York on November 1, defendant
Besim Kukaj appeared before
Judge Andrew L. Carter to
plead guilty to two charges.
Inner City Press was there:
Kukaj is charged with a scheme to
obtain $3.5 million in Paycheck Protection
Program Loans and making interstate threats to
a victim to whom he owed money.
Plea deal is for 70 to 87 months.
In allocution he says he used his restaurants
Q: Once released on bail in Oct 2020, did you
continue to file false PPP loan applications?
Defendant: Yes.
Q: Which banks? A: PNC, and Empire Bank in
Orange County.
[Judge Carter noted that he owns stock in JPM
Chase where his wife used to work as a lawyer,
and BONY Mellon, where she now works.]
Count 2: Defendant had another say, Close yr
f-ing mouth or I will. AUSA: Victim was in
Manhattan
Plea accepted Sentencing March 9, 2 pm.
Afterward Judge
Carter asked if either side wanted to redact
the name of the man who made the threat.
Neither did - he was charged with the conduct.
The docket shows he is Abduraman Iseni, and
he's currently applying for compassionate
release.
The case is US v.
Kukaj, et al., 20-cr-660
(Carter)
***
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