Joseph Kaminski, a 58-year-old resident of Nanticoke in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, has been indicted by a federal grand jury on charges related to pandemic fraud. The indictment was announced by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania and includes counts of wire fraud, money laundering, and making false statements to the Small Business Administration (SBA).
According to Acting United States Attorney John C. Gurganus, “the indictment alleges that from approximately January 2020 to approximately January 2025, Kaminski engaged in a scheme to defraud the SBA of over $850,000.00 in emergency pandemic funding made available to small business owners through the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (“EIDL”) program.” Additionally, it is alleged that Kaminski “fraudulently obtained over $40,000.00 of Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (“PUA”) benefits to which he was not entitled by deceiving the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry.”
The investigation was conducted by IRS-Criminal Investigations and the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jeffery St John and Tatum Wilson are prosecuting the case.
The COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force was created on May 17, 2021, by the Attorney General to coordinate resources within the Department of Justice and partner agencies against pandemic-related fraud schemes. The task force aims to improve investigations and prosecutions targeting significant domestic and international offenders as well as help agencies prevent future fraudulent activities through information sharing and coordination across government programs. More details about this initiative can be found at https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus.
Members of the public with information regarding suspected COVID-19 fraud are encouraged to contact authorities via the National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or submit a report online at https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
If convicted on these charges, Kaminski faces up to 20 years in prison along with supervised release and possible fines under federal law. Sentencing will be determined by a judge after considering federal statutes and guidelines.
It is noted that indictments represent only allegations; all individuals charged are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
