Actors, musicians and athletes are among the 19 people around the country who have been indicted by the U.S. Department of Justice on Paycheck Protection Program loan fraud.
Among the most notable is Madea Goes to Jail star Ion Overman, 45, who is also known for her roles as Det. Elena Ruiz in CBS’ “Wisdom of the Crowd” and Candace Jewell in Showtime’s “The L Word.”
Some of the others include: music producer Carlos “Clos” Stephens who has worked with the likes of Master P and Little Romeo; actor Dale Godboldo who starred in “The People v. O.J. Simpson,” Thor and “The Year of the Dog”; and media personality Marvin Lewton, aka “Shadi Powers,” according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
All of the 19 individuals have business ties or live in Atlanta and therefore are being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Northern District of Georgia.
Though the entertainers and CEOs live on the East and West coasts, they are all tied to a single Atlanta businessman named Mark C. Mason Jr. The Justice Department accuses him of helping them all file fraudulent PPP applications that secured over $3 million in loans.
Mason reportedly received kickback payments from 2 to 5 percent for every successful PPP loan. He is also being charged in separate indictments for allegedly filing two of his own PPP loan applications on two of his businesses, Atlanta Business Capital and Advocate Business Capital, securing nearly $600,000.
