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Phoenix man gets decade in prison for pandemic loan fraud scheme
Mohammed Maio was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison after admitting he used false information to obtain nearly $2.2 million in COVID-era relief loans for businesses with no employees. Prosecutors said he spent the money on personal expenses, including multiple properties.
A federal judge sentenced Phoenix resident Mohammed Maio to 10 years in prison Tuesday for a scheme to obtain nearly $2.2 million in COVID-19 relief loans intended to help small businesses, federal prosecutors said.
Maio, 44, admitted that from May 2020 through March 2024 he conspired to get and misuse the funds by submitting false information for multiple businesses that had no employees. Prosecutors said he used the money for personal enrichment, including buying multiple properties.
He pleaded guilty in July to conspiracy to commit wire and bank fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering. U.S. Attorney Timothy Courchaine said in a statement that the scheme caused a significant financial loss to the federal government and diverted money from a program created to support small businesses during the pandemic.
Maio also admitted arranging for his mother to buy a firearm for him in May 2021 and to falsely state on the purchase application that it was for her use. He was separately charged with possessing a firearm as a convicted felon; the sentencing report did not specify the outcome of that charge.
His parents, Souzan El-Sayed, 66, and Abukar Maio, 70, were also indicted in the case. Both pleaded guilty in July to conspiracy to commit wire and bank fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering. Their sentences were not reported.