WHEATLAND, Calif. — A Yuba County man pleaded guilty to submitting false claims for COVID-19 pandemic tax credits Friday, according to the United States Attorney's Office Eastern District of California.
Jason Toland, 43 years old and from Wheatland, tried to get more than $13.4 million in COVID relief funds by filing multiple fake tax returns with the IRS, the attorney’s office said.
The funds were made to help ease some economic harm the pandemic caused to businesses, but the attorney’s office says Toland used shell companies with no real employees and no business activity to try and get money he wasn’t entitled. On top of this, the attorney’s office says between 2020 and 2023, he used these same companies to receive $1.7 million in Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) funds.
Though he tried for over $13 million, Toland actually received nearly $2 million which, as part of his plea deal, he will pay back to the IRS.
Toland faces a maximum statutory penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. He will be sentenced Oct. 8.
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