An auto dealer in Connellsville, Pa., has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh on charges of mail fraud and conspiracy to commit mail and bank fraud, U.S. Attorney Cindy K. Chung said today.
The five-count Indictment named Joshua Dewitt, 36, and Terrence Newmeyer Jr., 45, as defendants.
According to the indictment, DeWitt was the owner of RC Auto Sales in Connellsville where he employed Newmeyer. Together, DeWitt and Newmeyer allegedly filed a series of fraudulent applications for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance benefits and Paycheck Protection Program loans, including on behalf of customers of RC Auto Sales. DeWitt and Newmeyer allegedly used the fraudulently obtained pandemic benefits to benefit themselves and RC Auto Sales, by—among other things—accepting them as payment for vehicles and services sold by RC Auto Sales. Charges come after a two year long investigation.
The law provides for a maximum total sentence of 30 years in prison, a fine of $1 million or both.