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Grand jury indicts Cincinnati man accused of lying for COVID relief funds

County jail deaths down, still twice state avg.
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CINCINNATI — A grand jury indicted a Cincinnati man on wire fraud charges after officials said he lied about running a business while he was actually incarcerated on his PPP loan application.

Kelton McClarrin, 32, was brought into federal custody Thursday after officials said he submitted a false application for a COVID-19 relief loan in May 2021. According to the indictment, he claimed he started a business named "Kelton McClarrin" in 2019 and had a gross income of $100,000 that year.

Officials said McClarrin was sentenced to two years in prison in May 2019 and remained incarcerated until November 2020, when he went to a halfway house. The indictment said McClarrin used the halfway house as his business address on the loan application.

McClarrin received nearly $21,000, and officials claim he spent that money on jail commissary services, hotels, DoorDash and more.

In April 2022, McClarrin then applied for loan forgiveness for the PPP loan. In his application, he claimed he had 20 employees and spent $20,000 of the loan on payroll costs.

If convicted, McClarrin could spend up to 30 years in prison.

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Cincinnati man accused of lying for COVID relief funds indicted on wire fraud charges

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