2 Immokalee men plead guilty for $1M COVID government fraud scheme
Two Immokalee men were indicted for wire fraud and money laundering after taking a plea deal with the U.S. Attorney's Office on Wednesday.
Jacinto Luna and Marcelino Deleon Jr. pleaded guilty to defrauding the government out of millions of dollars, according to court documents.
Court documents state Luna owns a company called South Flo Harvesting, and Deleon owns a company called L-D Harvesting.
The two are accused of creating fake invoices and using federal assistance money to buy cars.
The duo's plea deal is to cooperate with the government during the investigation, which is centered around the Coronavirus Food and Assistance Program.
According to court documents, there are two unnamed co-conspirators involved in the case. One is believed to own a harvesting company in Immokalee and another is reportedly in an upper management role for a farming company in Collier County.
Luna and Deleon also reportedly have to pay back $1 million before their sentencing.
A sentencing date has not yet been set.
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