A former California mayor is facing federal charges for allegedly making false representations to secure funds from a business loan program.
ABC10 reports that Stockton ex-mayor Anthony Silva has been charged with fraud and identity theft after he was accused of using a sham application to obtain a loan from the Paycheck Protection Program in April 2020.
According to court documents filed with the United States District Court, Eastern District of California, Silva received the loan by submitting a PPP loan application for Indoor Adventures, claiming that an individual identified as Person 1 owns 85% of the business.
The former official allegedly said that no 20% or more owner of the business had been convicted over the past five years. PPP loan applications are denied when a 20% or more owner of the business was convicted of or placed on probation for a felony within the period.
Silva ended up receiving a $17,000 loan, which was later forgiven after he completed a loan forgiveness application. The government now says that he was the owner, founder and CEO of Indoor Adventures, and Person 1 was his associate with no interest in the company.
Silva, who served as Stockton mayor from 2013 to 2017, would not have been a qualified business owner since he was convicted of a felony in 2019 for defrauding millions from the Stockton Kids Club.
He says the new charges are politically motivated.
“This case is about the continuing power struggle between different factions in Stockton. It’s nothing more than political retaliation. As a Republican Mayor, I have been a political target for over a decade.”
Follow us on X, Facebook and TelegramGenerated Image: Midjourney