DETROIT — A Beverly Hills man has pleaded guilty in federal court to carrying out an extensive pandemic fraud scheme that resulted in more than $2 million in fraudulent COVID-19 relief loans.
Jabari Long, 45, entered a guilty plea Tuesday before U.S. District Judge Brandy McMillion to wire fraud affecting a financial institution, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan.
Federal prosecutors said Long submitted fraudulent loan applications through the Paycheck Protection Program and Economic Injury Disaster Loan programs, claiming funds for businesses that did not legitimately exist or did not operate as represented.
Court records show Long received $2,187,000 in federal loans for a company called Priceless Preservations Construction. Long claimed the business employed 50 workers and had an average monthly payroll of $875,000. Investigators later determined the company had few, if any, employees and little to no payroll expenses.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office said the fraudulent applications allowed Long to obtain substantial federal funds intended to help legitimate businesses survive the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
United States Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon Jr announced the guilty plea, along with Jared Murphey, acting Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Detroit. The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations.
Long is scheduled to be sentenced on July 28, 2026. He faces a maximum possible sentence of up to 30 years in federal prison.
- NMD Staff
Staff@NewMediaDetroit.com