David T. Hines allegedly fraudulently accepted $3.9 million from the U.S. government’s Paycheck Protection Program, meant to support businesses that were struggling to pay employees during the current COVID-19 quarantine. Then he crashed the brand new Lamborghini he bought with the money instead.
According to a statement released by the U.S. Department of Justice, Hines has been charged with “one count of bank fraud, one count of making false statements to a financial institution and one count of engaging in transactions in unlawful proceeds.”
Hines allegedly misreported his South Florida moving company’s payroll expenses, intentionally and falsely inflating the amount of money likely to be paid out by the government relief program for small businesses, seeking up to $13.5 million in loan applications with ultimately $3.9 million in loans approved.
Here’s how Hines ended up with a Lamborghini and spent the money, which he apparently didn’t really need for payroll, according to the Miami Herald:
Needless to say, the Italian-made sports car — purchased by Hines in May for $318,497 — was not on the list of permissible expenses under a Small Business Administration loan program meant to protect employees and cover other legitimate costs like rent during the coronavirus pandemic.
Hines, who was arrested Friday, also spent thousands of dollars on dating websites, jewelry and clothes, along with stays at high-end hotels such as the Fontainebleau and Setai on Miami Beach.
Investigators were flagged by a hit and run crash involving a brand new Lamborghini Huracan—something I assume is pretty suspicious in the public record right after a big federal payout for anyone looking.
Investigators linked the car to Hines, tracked the purchase history, discovered no payroll payments as reported in the loan application, and subsequently moved to arrest him. He was granted a $100,000 bond under GPS-tracked house arrest at his mother’s until his arraignment in October, which is really funny to me—a kid who had the sheriff calling his mom a few times growing up.
But I’m better than this. People are dying, fearing for their futures, and this guy wants to be selfish, stupid, and flashy. And he can’t even drive.