Brian Bui, a dentist in Plano, was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison on Monday after pleading guilty to the misuse of COVID-19 relief funds.
The 43-year-old was convicted of wire fraud in a case presided over by U.S. District Judge Sean D. Jordan of the Eastern District of Texas, according to a June 5 news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Federal prosecutors said Bui prepared and submitted falsified paperwork to receive $1.89 million in forgivable loans through the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP).
Guaranteed by the Small Business Administration through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, these loans were meant to ensure that businesses like Bui’s dentistry practice could continue to pay their employees.
Bui allegedly misrepresented his monthly payroll expenses and the number of employees. He then used the funds “in a manner not authorized by the program, including for non-business, personal investments,” according to the news release.
Alongside his prison sentence, Bui was ordered to pay back $1.49 million in restitution.
Rampant fraud has recently been found in both the PPP and Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) COVID-10 relief programs. As The Dallas Express previously reported, the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee estimated that fraudsters using bunk social security numbers reaped over $5 billion in PPP and EIDL loans.
A federal indictment earlier this year targeted 23 people from Texas for allegations of PPP fraud to the tune of more than $3.5 million, as covered by The Dallas Express.
Yet this sum pales in comparison to the alleged siphoning of approximately $25 million from a $50 million Series B raise for Dallas-based firm Slync by its CEO. Charged in February and indicted in May, Christopher Kirchner awaits trial and if found guilty faces a maximum of 180 years in federal prison.
White-collar crime such as this contributes to Dallas’ crime rate, with 952 incidents of fraud reported so far this year.
Meanwhile, DPD’s ability to respond to crime is lessened by a lack of personnel; the department is roughly 400 officers short, as Mike Mata, president of the Dallas Police Association, suggested in January, according to the Dallas Observer.
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