D.C. police officer charged by FBI with bank and wire fraud
Washington DC Aug 15 2021 A D.C. police officer has been charged with fraudulently obtaining a loan designed to help businesses struggling through shutdowns because of the coronavirus, according to a criminal complaint filed Thursday in federal court in the District.
Roberto Adams, who is assigned to the 5th District station, has been placed on administrative leave, according to a department spokesman. He faces charges of bank and wire fraud.
Adams’s attorney, Joseph A. Scrofano, declined to answer questions about the case but said his client has been a police officer for five years and is a combat veteran with seven years in the Navy.
“The presumption of innocence applies to all individuals, including Officer Adams, who served his country and his community faithfully,” Scrofano said.
The complaint says Adams applied for a loan in early 2020 under the Paycheck Protection Program, writing he needed the money to pay employees for a janitorial company he ran from his residence. He was given a loan of $18,345.
Authorities said the loan can be used only for business-related expenses, and that its terms can be forgiven if used appropriately. The complaint says authorities could find no record of the janitorial company earning profits that the officer had claimed, and there is no evidence of the business.
