A Kissimmee man has pleaded guilty to four counts of wire fraud related to a scheme involving federal criminal forfeiture, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida. Levelle Joseph Harris, 38, faces up to 20 years in federal prison on each count and is subject to a forfeiture order totaling $640,911.85, which represents the proceeds from his fraudulent activities. A sentencing date has not yet been set.
Court records show that Harris previously committed wire fraud in 2020 by illegally obtaining over $1.28 million in COVID-19 relief funds. He used some of these funds to purchase a residential property and was later convicted on 14 counts of wire fraud related to this conduct. The United States sought forfeiture of the property purchased with the stolen relief funds.
Before sentencing in his earlier case, Harris claimed he had sold the property and given the proceeds to the government. However, agents determined that this sale was unlawful. From February 7, 2022, through January 31, 2023, Harris carried out another scheme by securing a mortgage on the same property using false information. He then used those mortgage proceeds both to buy back the residence and pay off his criminal forfeiture obligations. Through this mortgage fraud scheme, Harris obtained an additional $640,911.85.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation into Harris’s activities. Assistant United States Attorney Hannah Nowalk Watson is prosecuting the case, while Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer Harrington is handling matters related to forfeiture.
Members of the public who have information about attempted fraud involving COVID-19 are encouraged to report it through the Justice Department’s National Center for Disaster Fraud web complaint form at https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
