Florida man pleads guilty to $7.2M COVID-19 relief fraud

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — A Florida man who fled the U.S. and was eventually arrested in Croatia has pleaded guilty to stealing more than $7.2 million in COVID-19 relief funds. Court records show that 46-year-old Don Cisternino pleaded guilty Tuesday in Orlando federal court to wire fraud, aggravated identity theft and illegal monetary transaction. He faces up to 32 years in federal prison at a hearing scheduled for Jan. 5. According to the plea agreement, Cisternino submitted a fraudulent loan application for a Paycheck Protection Program loan in May 2020. He claimed his company had 441 employees and monthly payroll expenses in 2019 of more than $2.8 million. The company actually had no employees other than Cisternino.