New York journey park proprietor admits to fraudulently acquiring over $Three million in federal coronavirus support

The proprietor of a New York journey park on Lengthy Island admitted Thursday that he fraudulently obtained greater than $Three million in federal coronavirus support and spent it on himself, together with shopping for a house on the Massachusetts island of Nantucket.

Donald Finley pleaded responsible to catastrophe aid fraud and wire fraud throughout a federal courtroom listening to in Central Islip. Finley’s plea settlement requires him to pay greater than $3.2 million in restitution and a nice of as much as $1.25 million. He additionally faces as much as 30 years in jail however shouldn’t be anticipated to get the utmost.

Sentencing was scheduled for Nov. 8.

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“This workplace will proceed investigating and prosecuting these, just like the defendant, who shamelessly steal from authorities applications that have been meant for struggling small companies and households throughout the pandemic,” U.S. Lawyer Breon Peace stated in a press release.

Messages looking for remark have been left for Finley’s lawyer, Christopher Ferguson, and at an e-mail handle and cellphone quantity listed for Finley Thursday night.

“I’m deeply remorseful for my conduct,” Finley stated in courtroom, based on a report by Newsday.

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Finley, 61, of Locust Valley, New York, owns the Bayville Journey Park on Lengthy Island’s north shore, which contains a pirate-themed miniature golf course, bumper boats, an arcade and different sights. He additionally was the proprietor of a now-defunct Jekyll & Hyde theme restaurant in Manhattan.

Prosecutors stated Finley submitted bogus purposes for practically 30 small enterprise loans underneath the Paycheck Safety Program and the Financial Damage Catastrophe Mortgage Program in 2020 and 2021, receiving about $3.2 million for companies he managed.

As a substitute of spending the cash on pandemic-related bills, Finley diverted it for private use, together with the acquisition of the Nantucket house in February 2021, prosecutors stated.

This text was initially revealed by foxnews.com. Learn the original article here.