A federal jury has found a 54-year-old Tampa man guilty of using $500,000 in COVID relief funds to pay off gambling debts and his girlfriends credit cards.
Barrett Purvis faces 20 years in federal prison when he is sentenced Aug. 12. He was convicted of money laundering and wire fraud.
Unlike many of the fraud cases brought by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida, this one differs in that the Purvis obtained the funds legally and for a legitimate small business.
Whats not different from many of the cases is that he used the money on himself.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice and court papers, Purvis was president of the marketing company Big Man Promotions when he applied for a $499,000 Economic Injury…
Read the full article at: https://www.businessobserverfl.com/news/2024/may/06/businessman-convicted-covid-funds/