Miami man blows COVID-19 relief funds on Lamborghini, dating sites, hotel stays

A Florida man allegedly scammed nearly $4 million from the US government’s coronavirus relief loan program — and used some of the cash on a brand-new Lamborghini and other luxury items, authorities said Monday.

David T. Hines was charged with bank fraud, making false statements to a financial institution and engaging in transactions in unlawful proceeds in a criminal complaint unsealed Monday.

Hines, 29, of Miami, initially tried to get $13.5 million from the Payment Protection Program through applications on behalf of different companies, by saying he needed the money for employee payroll purposes.

Turns out “those purported employees either did not exist or earned a fraction of what Hines claimed in his PPP applications,” the affidavit states.

The bank eventually approved three of the loans totaling $3.9 million.

Within a few days of pocketing the cash, Hines allegedly bought a 2023 Lamborghini Huracán valued at more than $318,000.

He also spent thousands of dollars on dating websites, jewelry and clothes and stays at posh hotels in Miami Beach, the complaint alleges.

Federal investigators linked the sports car to Hines after he was involved in a hit-and-run incident on July 11, The Miami Herald reported.

Miami police impounded the vehicle, which federal prosecutors now plan to seize.

When the bank froze Hines’ companies’ accounts on June 24, and they showed a balance of $3,463,162 but no repayments on the loans.

Hines was arrested Friday. He was granted release on $100,000 bond by U.S. Chief Magistrate Judge John O’Sullivan during his first court appearance on Monday.

He will be allowed to stay at his mother’s home with a GPS monitor. His arraignment is scheduled for Oct. 14.

Source: Newzandar News

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