GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — A Grand Rapids man has pleaded guilty to money laundering and bank fraud.
Kurtis James VanderMolen, 50, fraudulently obtained approximately $170,000 in loans from the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). Officials say VanderMolen fabricated a company called Breakout Strategies Corporation to receive the loans.
VanderMolen submitted an application using the fake company name to a New Jersey bank in July 2020. The application claimed Breakout Strategies had 11 employees, and officials say VanderMolen sent fraudulent records to receive the loans.
VanderMolen received $100,641 in his first loan. Officials say he used the funds for personal expenses, including a BMW convertible.
VanderMolen then applied for a second PPP loan in February 2021 and received $69,361. These funds were again used for personal expenses, including VanderMolen's wedding, according to officials.
“The Paycheck Protection Program was a critical lifeline for Michigan’s small businesses, and the FBI will not tolerate people taking advantage of that program to enrich themselves,” said James A. Tarasca, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in Michigan. “This kind of fraud may have prevented honest business owners from getting the help they needed to weather the early days of the pandemic. The FBI remains committed to finding people who commit fraud and holding them accountable for their crimes.”
Bank fraud carries a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison. Money laundering carries a maximum of 10 years in prison.
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