#Virginia couple charged in $1.5M coronavirus fraud scheme

A married Virginia couple was busted trying to flee the country after they illegally received nearly $1.5 million in federal funds meant for struggling businesses during the pandemic, prosecutors said.

Monica Magdalena Jaworska, 43, and her husband, Tarik Jaafar, 42, were arrested at JFK Airport in New York for the alleged scam earlier this month after buying one-way tickets to Poland, according to US Attorney’s Office Eastern District of Virginia.

Prosecutors allege the pair filed 18 different loan applications under the federal Paycheck Protection Program, using bogus IRS forms to claim they were supporting dozens of employees.

They were ultimately approved for four loans totaling more than $1.4 million, prosecutors said.

But an investigation revealed the businesses didn’t really exist, according to an affidavit filed by the Small Business Administration.

The couple bought the plane tickets after officers contacted them for an interview, prosecutors said.

Most of the funds were frozen but prosecutors said Jaafar was able to withdraw at least $30,000 in cash.

Jaworska appeared in court Friday afternoon on charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud.

If convicted, both she and Jaafar face a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.