Houston man commits $3M PPP loan fraud, used money for private jet travel

HOUSTON - During the COVID era, the government was helping small business owners and certain other businesses through PPP loans, and one Houston man is now behind bars for his PPP loan scam.

47-year-old Scott Jackson Davis pleaded guilty on May 26, 2022, to wire fraud and on Friday he was sentenced to 8 years and 6 months in federal prison immediately followed by three years of supervised release, said U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.

Davis is also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $3,002,655.13, says the U.S., Attorney's office.

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According to court documents, Davis was on supervised release for a different wire fraud conviction at the time of the PPP loan fraud. He had only been out of prison for just over four months when he began submitting fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program applications.

In 2020, Davis received $3.3 million in PPP funds through three fraudulent loan applications he submitted to multiple financial institutions. He fabricated ownership of three businesses, Skilled Trade Investments LP, Skilled Trade Staffing LLC, and Skilled Trade Investments Group, which he claimed staffed numerous employees and had significant payroll.

Officials say the businesses had few if any, employees and little to no payroll if it existed. He also forged IRS documentation to corroborate the vastly inflated business expenses.

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In the fraudulent PPP applications, Davis lied stating he had never been convicted of a felony when he is in fact, a prior felon who was on supervised release for an unrelated 2017 wire fraud conviction.

Davis used a lot of the PPP loan funds he scammed to travel on a private jet, real estate, jewelry guns, and luxury vehicles.

He will remain in custody until he's transferred to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.