Sarasota man pleads guilty to $500K PPP loan fraud

A 34-year-old Sarasota man has been sentenced to five years and one month in federal prison after pleading guilty in March to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft that added up to nearly $500,000, in a PPP loan fraud case. 

Randy Xavier Jones was sentenced by U.S. District Judge William Jung, who also ordered Jones to return proceeds that could be traced to the offense. This includes 12 prepaid debit cards loaded with unemployment insurance benefits that were fraudulently obtained by Jones, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney's Office.