A Macomb County restaurateur has been sentenced to nearly three years in prison after attempting to fraudulently claim close to $1 million in pandemic relief funds.

Michael Bischoff, owner of the Passport Pizza and Little Dino’s Pizza Express chains, among other restaurants, pleaded guilty to one count of bank fraud in November. He was sentenced to 32 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Paul Borman.

Prosecutors sought a minimum of 41 months in prison for Bischoff, 60, noting numerous previous convictions for conspiracy to commit wire fraud and bank fraud, the Detroit News reported. Bischoff admitted that he tried to obtain $931,000 in loans under the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) guaranteed by the U.S. Small Business Administration. The loans were earmarked to cover payroll and other expenses during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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