LEESBURG, Va. — A Senior Executive Service employee for NASA plead guilty Monday to submitting fraudulent applications for over $350,000 in COVID-19 economic relief loans and unemployment benefits, according to court documents.
36-year-old Andrew Tezna, of Leesburg, took advantage of COVID-19 relief efforts and fraudulently submitted three Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan applications to two financial institutions in the amount of $272,284, court documents say.
Tezna then submitted fake IRS tax returns and falsely claimed non-existent payroll expenses to support his PPP loan fraud. He admitted to authorities that he filed a false Financial Disclosure Report with NASA, officials said.
Tezna also fraudulently submitted two additional Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program applications to the Small Business Administration that totaled $69,500. On top of that, he applied for COVID-related unemployment benefits from Virginia. Court documents say the unemployment application was for his mother-in-law, who they learned was retired and did not qualify for the benefits. The dispersed unemployment payments totaled $15,950.
Tezna used the money to pay off a personal loan for a residential pool, a personal loan for a minivan, credit card debt, a dog breeder and even put a down payment on a new car, court documents say.
The Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) is a federal initiative designed to help struggling businesses pay their employees and meet their basic expenses during the COVID-19 pandemic.
"Despite holding a senior executive position at NASA, the defendant applied for over $350,000 in fraudulent loans and benefits," said Raj Parekh, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. "In doing so, he essentially treated COVID-19 relief programs as a personal piggy bank, using funds intended to provide pandemic relief for small businesses and the unemployed to pay down his credit card debt, pay off loans for a residential pool and minivan, and pay a dog-breeder, among other personal expenses. EDVA will continue to hold accountable individuals who exploit a national economic crisis in order to unlawfully enrich themselves at the expense of those in genuine need due to the pandemic."
Tezna is facing 30 years in prison, officials said. He is scheduled to be sentenced on July 16.