Utah businessman federally charged after allegedly scamming $1.8M in COVID relief funds
SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — A businessman from Utah County was arrested for allegedly obtaining more than $1.8 million in relief funds after being indicted by a federal grand jury on March 20, according to the Department of Justice.
Robert Blake Molling, 41, is charged with seven counts of wire fraud. Molling is accused of fraudulently applying for COVID-19 relief funds for two of his companies and obtaining more than $1.8 million.
Court documents say the businesses Molling obtained the money for were operating since 2013 and 2016. Documents also claim Molling “intended to devise a scheme” to fraudulently obtain the funds.
Court documents say Molling applied for the relief funds between March 2020 and April 2022. According to the DOJ, Molling lied and said he had no criminal convictions besides “minor vehicle violations.” However, court documents say he had at least one criminal conviction from the past.
The loans he applied for were COVID-19 Economic Injury Disaster Loan — or EIDL — funds.
“In furtherance of the crime, Molling caused multiple wire transfers via interstate commerce, and fraudulently obtained some $1,868,100 in EIDL loan funds and advances he was not eligible to receive,” the DOJ said.
The seven charges filed against Molling cover the wire transfers between states — where money was transferred from the Federal Reserve Bank in New Jersey to his accounts in Utah — which reportedly started in May 2020 and continued up until March 2022.
Molling’s case is being investigated by the Utah Federal COVID-19 Fraud Strike Force, which consists of several other groups including the FBI and the Department of Defense. The task force was established in May 2021.
Molling’s initial court appearance is scheduled for March 26.
Charges are allegations only. All arrested persons are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
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