A MAN has been arrested after he was discovered to have bought a Lamborghini with relief money intended to help him out during the coronavirus crisis.
29-year-old David Hines of Miami, Florida splashed out over $300,000 on the new super-car, as well as on expensive clothes and jewellery after receiving nearly $4 million in federal loans.
The money was intended to help Mr Hines' businesses amid the Covid-19 crisis, but now the Florida man faces up to 70 years in prison due to his actions after flitting the money away on luxury items, classy hotels and dating websites.
In April, Mr. Hines - like thousands of other business owners in the US - sought financial help from the federal Paycheck Protection Program, a loan program created to help businesses keep their employees during the coronavirus pandemic.
He claimed he ran a number of businesses, employing around 60 people and had monthly expenses of $4 million.
Once his loans were approved in May, he received three payments totalling $3,984,557, according to the authorities. As that money came in, Mr. Hines continued submitting requests for more funds.
According to officials, he ended up requesting as much as $13.5 million from the government.
Mr. Hines’s lawyer, Chad Piotrowski, said in a statement that his client was "a legitimate business owner who, like millions of Americans, suffered financially during the pandemic" and "is anxious to tell his side of the story when the time comes."
See More: Coronavirus, Florida Man, Lamborghini, Scam, Supercar
