Virginia couple charged with COVID-19 relief loan fraud, caught allegedly fleeing to Poland

ASHBURN, Va. (WDVM) — An Ashburn, Virginia couple has been charged with federal COVID-19 relief loan fraud.

The U.S. Department of Justice said Monica Jaworska, 43, and Tarik Jaafar, 42, were taken into custody at John F. Kennedy Airport after allegedly attempting to commit wire fraud via falsified paycheck protection program loan applications.

Officials said the couple was attempting to flee to Poland. Jaworska and Jaafar reportedly submitted a total 18 PPP loan applications to 12 financial institutions in the names of four business entities between April and May.

The Department of Justice encourages anyone who believes they are a victim of a scam or attempted fraud involving COVID-19 to call the national center for disaster fraud hotline at 866-720-5721.

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