Evergreen Reporter

A federal grand jury in East St. Louis has indicted three men from Metro East on charges related to a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan fraud scheme. Dana C. Howard, 52, of O’Fallon; Richard Scott Myers, 63, of Edwardsville; and Glenn Sunnquist, 53, of Swansea face various charges including conspiracy to commit wire fraud and wire fraud.

Howard is also charged with making a false statement, bankruptcy fraud, and willful failure to pay taxes. Additionally, Myers faces charges for engaging in monetary transactions with funds derived from unlawful activity and bankruptcy fraud.

“In one of the most prevalent and widespread fraud crimes in American history, any greedy individuals who sought to steal from the federal government under false pretenses and enrich themselves with PPP funds will be held accountable under the law,” stated U.S. Attorney Rachelle Aud Crowe.

The PPP was established by the U.S. Small Business Administration during the COVID-19 pandemic to provide financial relief through forgivable loans for businesses struggling with operational costs such as payroll and facility expenses.

Court documents reveal that Howard and Myers co-owned Zoie LLC and Zade Trucking in East St. Louis where Sunnquist worked as a bookkeeper. In April 2020, they received a $1,426,500 PPP loan claiming it would support Zoie's operations during the pandemic but allegedly misused these funds for personal benefits instead.

“COVID fraud was massive in scale and ultimately the cost will be paid by American taxpayers for generations to come,” commented FBI Springfield Special Agent in Charge Christopher Johnson. “The FBI has opened thousands of investigations across the country targeting COVID-related fraud.”

The indictment claims that despite filing for bankruptcy indicating minimal remaining PPP funds in 2020 both Howard and Myers had $450,000 accessible via cashier’s checks. They are further accused of applying falsely for another PPP loan exceeding $1.4 million in January 2021 while seeking forgiveness for their first loan.

“The nation as a whole may have moved on from COVID," said IRS Criminal Investigation's Bill Steenson "but IRS Criminal Investigation continues to track down fraudsters who stole money from pandemic relief programs."

Sunnquist is alleged to have manipulated expense records at Zoie LLC supporting their loan forgiveness application which SBA denied in September 2022.

An indictment signifies formal charges against defendants who remain presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt before a jury.

This investigation involves contributions from both FBI Springfield Field Office along with IRS Criminal Investigation under prosecution led by Assistant U.S Attorney Kevin Burke.