Kansas City man sentenced to 36 months for COVID-19 fraud

Date: May 14, 2026

Contact: [email protected]

Kansas City, MO - A Kansas City, MO, man was sentenced in federal court today for his role in a wire fraud case that resulted in more than $312,500 in fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans being issued under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.

Jarrell Curne was sentenced by Chief U.S. District Judge Brian Wimes to 36 months imprisonment, followed by three years' supervised release based upon his guilty plea to wire fraud. Curne pleaded guilty to fraudulently obtaining Paycheck Protection Plan (PPP) loans guaranteed by the Small Business Administration (SBA) under the CARES Act. The court also ordered Curne to pay restitution of $318,220.49 to the SBA. This successful prosecution is one of many federal fraud cases pursued under the leadership of President Donald Trump and through the establishment of the Task Force to Eliminate Fraud.

According to court documents, Curne was the owner of a Missouri limited liability company called Hustle Ova Everything Entertainment (Hustle). On May 13, 2020, Curne submitted a $312,500 PPP loan application to a bank on behalf of Hustle. In the loan application, Curne falsely stated that, in 2019, Hustle had an annual payroll of $1.5 million and 100 employees. In reality, Hustle had no eligible employees or payroll whatsoever.

Based on the fraudulent representations Curne made in the Hustle PPP loan application, on May 15, 2020, the bank transferred $312,500 to an account controlled by Curne in the name of Hustle. In furtherance of his wire-fraud scheme and in an effort for the SBA to forgive the Hustle PPP loan, Curne falsely certified that the loan proceeds were used for permissible business purposes under the PPP. In reality, the funds were used by Curne for personal expenses. This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul S. Becker. It was investigated by IRS-Criminal Investigation.

National Fraud Enforcement Division

On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division ("Fraud Division"). The Fraud Division is laser-focused on investigating and prosecuting those who commit fraud against the American people. The Department's work to combat fraud supports President Trump's Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs.

IRS-CI is the law enforcement arm of the IRS, responsible for conducting financial crime investigations, including tax fraud, narcotics trafficking, money laundering, public corruption, healthcare fraud, identity theft and more. It is the only federal law enforcement agency with investigative jurisdiction over violations of the Internal Revenue Code. IRS-CI has 18 field offices located across the U.S. and maintains an international presence through attaché posts abroad.