Bradley Temple, a former business owner in Wheeling, West Virginia, pleaded guilty to engaging in illegal financial transactions to misappropriate over $277,000 in pandemic relief funds. The U.S. Attorney’s Office confirmed that Temple used fraudulent records to seize funds from federal support programs in the U.S.
Relief Fund Fraud
Temple operated a company called Righteous Brother’s Trucking and applied for support through the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL). Court records indicate that he provided false information regarding business operations to misappropriate $277,456.
Instead of using the money to maintain business operations as required by the CARES Act, Temple spent it on personal purposes. The misappropriated funds included a $40,000 check used to purchase a personal vehicle.
Penalties and Investigating Agencies
Temple faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and is obligated to provide full restitution of the stolen funds. Judge James P. Mazzone retains the authority to determine the final sentence at an upcoming hearing in West Virginia.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Conklin is prosecuting the case. The coordinated investigation involved several agencies, including:
- IRS Criminal Investigation
- NASA Office of Inspector General
- Pandemic Response Accountability Committee
