A CT man defrauded the Covid relief program. He was a drug dealer too.
A previously convicted felon has been sentenced to more than three years in prison for distributing narcotics and defrauding a government program that provided small businesses with loan relief assistance during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Antrum Coston, 41, of New Haven faced sentencing this week in federal court in Bridgeport where a judge handed him a 37-month prison term that will be followed by three years of supervised release, according to the U.S. Attorney’s office.
The sentencing came on the heels of Coston pleading guilty in December 2022 to one count each of wire fraud, money laundering and possession with intent to distribute controlled substances, federal officials said. He is free on bond and is required to report to prison on Nov. 29.
According to federal officials, Coston defrauded the Paycheck Protection Program, also known as PPP, that was part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act passed in March 2020 during the pandemic. PPP was created to provide forgivable loans to small businesses for job retention and other expenses.
Federal officials said Coston in April 2021 received two PPP loans totaling just over $41,000 after making the claim that he purportedly established a cleaning business in 2018 that earned a total gross income of about $114,000 in 2019. According to federal officials, no such business was established in 2018, and Coston was found to have been incarcerated for all of 2019.
Coston sought forgiveness for the loan money he received, falsely claiming the funds were used on payroll costs, according to federal officials.
The U.S. Attorney’s office also said Coston was pulled over by police in West Haven in December 2021 before speeding off from the traffic stop and nearly striking an officer. He was later found hiding in a parking lot not far away, federal officials said.
A search of Coston’s vehicle turned up “distribution quantities” of heroin/fentanyl, cocaine and crack cocaine, as well as more than $2,000. Coston’s residence was subsequently searched, where authorities reported finding a ballistic vest, $2,790, a small quantity of crack and drug paraphernalia.
Coston’s previous criminal history includes multiple convictions, including two at the federal level, federal officials said.
In 2004, Coston was convicted in federal court of possession of a firearm by a felon and sentenced to 37 months in prison. In June 2007, he received an additional 18 months of prison time for violating the conditions of his supervised release.
Additionally, in December 2017, Coston was sentenced to 40 months in prison and three years of supervised release on gun and drug charges. He was released from federal prison in April 2020 and was on supervised release when he committed the PPP loan fraud, money laundering and drug possession offenses, federal officials said.