Tampa man gets three years in prison for Covid-era wire fraud

Barrett Purvis, 54, of Tampa, was sentenced to 33 months in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release after being convicted of wire fraud and money laundering. He was facing up to 20 years in prison. 

The Business Observer previously reported Purvis was president of the marketing company Big Man Promotions when he applied for a $499,000 Economic Injury Disaster Loan from the Small Business Administration in 2021. The EIDL program was part of a series of programs to help business owners during the pandemic. 

Although the terms of the funds stated they must be used for working capital and alleviating hardships, Purvis ultimately spent the entire amount on gambling debt and his girlfriend’s credit cards within just a few weeks of receiving the funds in May 2021, say federal officials. 

“COVID-19 relief programs were meant to serve as a lifeline to those struggling during uncertain times,” says Ron Loecker, special agent in charge of IRS Criminal Investigation’s Tampa Field Office in a statement. “Using these funds to instead pay for a gambling habit is an obvious and despicable abuse of a well-intentioned program. To any fraudsters who exploited these programs for personal gain, it’s a safe bet that we will be holding you accountable.”

The case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigation division and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Candace Garcia Rich. United States District Judge Charlene Edwards Honeywell handed down the sentence.