A businessman buys an island in Florida with R million stolen from Covid funds

A businessman buys an island in Florida with R$40 million stolen from Covid funds


Patrick Parker Walsh was sentenced to serve five and a half years in federal prison for the crime




Businessman Patrick Parker Walsh, originally from Florida, United States, bought an island using, as part of the payment, the equivalent of R$40 million stolen from federal Covid-19 relief funds. For the crime he was sentenced to serve five and a half years in federal prison.

Sweetheart Island, purchased by the businessman, is located in Yankeetown, Florida. The land is over 8 thousand square meters. The information is from the newspaper The globe.

Patrick Walsh was the owner of AirSign, an aerial advertising company. In 2020, during the pandemic, the company entered a critical scenario. The businessman then submitted dozens of fraudulent requests for emergency aid to the US government.

According to the US Department of Justice, the businessman received $7.8 million between March 2020 and January 2021. The prosecution in the case cited the purchase of Sweetheart Island, “luxury goods” not declared, oil fields in Texas and a down payment on a house. in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.

In a court filing, Walsh’s lawyers said the businessman was driven by desperation. The owner of AirSign pleaded guilty in January of this year and was sentenced to 5 1/2 years in prison. Furthermore, he will have to sell the island and return the stolen sum.

Source: Terra

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