Trevor Gene Lanius-McLeod, 48, admitted to bank fraud Wednesday in federal court and to engaging in monetary transactions in property derived from specified unlawful activity. Lanius-McLeod faces a maximum of 30 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release on the bank fraud crime.
According to court documents, in April 2021, Lanius-McLeod applied for four PPP loans through Valley Bank of Helena and lied on the applications and accompanying documentation. As a result, Lanius-McLeod received $1,043,000 in funds from the four loans.
The PPP program provided emergency assistance to small businesses for job retention and certain other expenses.