Leland man sentenced for conspiracy to commit wire fraud

According to court documents and other information presented in court, Casillas fraudulently applied for Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans in March and April 2021 in furtherance of a conspiracy to defraud the government. The PPP program was created by the CARES Act in March 2020 to provide emergency financial assistance to American small businesses that were suffering the economic effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Through the PPP program, businesses could apply for forgivable loans to retain jobs and pay certain qualifying expenses. In order to obtain a PPP loan, the business was required to make certain disclosures and certifications regarding its operations and acknowledge program rules. The business was also required to provide documentation to support its alleged payroll expenses.

As part of the scheme, Casillas submitted two false and fraudulent PPP loan applications, each of which requested over $20,000. In the applications, Casillas falsely stated that he was the sole proprietor of a longstanding trucking business that was incurring nearly $100,000 in annual payroll costs. Among other things, to substantiate his claims, Casillas provided the lender with a fraudulent 2019 tax record. In reality, the company did not exist.

Michael Easley, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge James C. Dever III. The United States Secret Service, based in Wilmington, North Carolina, investigated the case. Assistant United States Attorney Adam F. Hulbig prosecuted the case for the government.