WASHINGTON - Roberto Adams, 39, a former Metropolitan Police Department officer residing in Hyattsville, Maryland, was found guilty today in connection with a scheme to fraudulently obtain more than $18,000 in taxpayer-funded Covid-era disaster relief funds, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
A federal jury deliberated a day and a half before finding Adams guilty on one count of wire fraud. U.S. District Court Judge Amit P. Mehta scheduled sentencing for October 23.
According to the evidence at trial, Adams obtained Paycheck Protection Program loans on behalf of his business SuperKlean LLC, a janitorial services company that was not operational at the start of the pandemic. He obtained a first PPP loan in July 2020 and spent those funds in approximately one month at casinos in Maryland and Las Vegas, on airfare and hotels in Miami, at restaurant and bars, and on hangover treatments.
On Jan. 21, 2021, Adams applied for a second PPP loan. Eight days later, on Jan. 29, 2021, $18,345, representing the second draw of the PPP loan funds, was deposited into Adams’ checking account. He quickly spent those funds paying off personal debts, including over $12,000 in back rent as well as other personal extravagances such as clothing and high-end sneakers.
In April 2021, Adams applied for a job with the Seattle Police Department. In the course of his background check, a Seattle Police Department detective noticed that Adams had obtained a PPP loan but had failed to disclose it in his written application or during an interview with the detective, as required. When confronted, Adams falsely claimed that the “purpose of the loan was to provide relief and assistance for my small business during the pandemic.”
This case was investigated the FBI’s Washington Field Office, with substantial assistance by the Internal Affairs Division of the Metropolitan Police Department and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. The matter was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sarah Santiago and Caelainn Carney.
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.
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