4 indicted for PPP fraud.

• Position: Paycheck Protection Program

Four defendants have been charged for their alleged roles in a fraud scheme related to the federal Paycheck Protection Program that involved nearly 100 people nationwide, including residents of Texas, North Carolina and South Carolina, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

They are Jacob Liticker, also known as "Jay Stunna," 25, of Houston; Kehinde Mubarak Ladepo, 26, an enlisted member of the U.S. Air Force stationed at Shaw Air Force Base in Sumter; Ganiyu Victor Ladepo also known as "Victor," 29, of Fayetteville, N.C.; and Maxwell Uzoma Okobi, also known as "Maxi," 24, a North Carolina resident currently deployed to Camp Arifjan, Kuwait.

The Payment Protection Program is one of the programs put in place in 2020 by the federal government to help businesses struggling because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The indictment alleges that the four defendants were part of a national scheme, led by Liticker, that attempted to fraudulently acquire $2 million in PPP loans and did acquire nearly $1 million in funds, according to a news release.

Evidence showed that Liticker created false PPP loan applications for nearly 100 people nationwide, typically for amounts around $20,000, and then helped them to submit the false information to Small Business Administration-approved lenders. In the process, he would also often create false tax documentation to support the non-existent businesses.

In exchange for his services...