Cape Coral man federally sentenced for COVID-19 relief fraud

Writer: Nicholas Karsen
Published: Updated:
Diop McKenzie. CREDIT: Lee County Sheriff’s Office

A Cape Coral man has been sentenced to 45 months in federal prison for bank fraud, wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. 

Diop McKenzie, 30, was arrested in May 2020 after submitting a fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program application to a financial institution that the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation federally insures.

According to the Florida Department of Justice, McKenzie falsely represented that he had a business located in Cape Coral while applying for a loan of over $20,000.

In July 2020, McKenzie then submitted another loan application, a $97,000 loan, using the name of another individual and the other person’s social security number. 

The investigation revealed that the individual had not applied for the EIDL loan fraudulently obtained in his name, nor had he received any funds from the loan.  

McKenzie was then arrested and charged with several forms of fraud.

As part of his sentence, the court ordered McKenzie to pay restitution to the Small Business Administration (SBA) and entered an order of forfeiture for $117,832.

According to the Florida DOJ, McKenzie purposely took advantage of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act, which provided aid to Americans suffering from financial issues resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.

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