GREAT FALLS – An East Helena man who admitted lying in a scheme to receive more than $1 million in Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans guaranteed by the Small Business Administration (SBA) for coronavirus relief aid and using the money instead for personal benefit was sentenced on June 7 to 30 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said.

Trevor Gene Lanius-McLeod, 48, pleaded guilty in December 2021 to bank fraud and to engaging in monetary transactions in property derived from specified unlawful activity.

Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided. Chief Judge Morris also ordered $1,000,043.00 restitution, $125,000 of which will be paid jointly with co-defendant Kasey Wilson who was sentenced in March 2022.

“During a trying time in our country’s history, Lanius-McLeod stole money from a government program designed to keep businesses afloat and lined his own pockets to the detriment of truly needy businesses.  Today, we send a strong message that such fraud will not go unpunished in the District of Montana.  I want to thank Assistant U.S. Attorney Colin M. Rubich, IRS Criminal Investigation, the FBI and all of our law enforcement partners for their work on this case,” U.S. Attorney Laslovich said.

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