Date: April 24, 2025
Contact: [email protected]
MIAMI ¡ª The owner of Theophin Consulting LLC has pleaded guilty to wire fraud for fraudulently obtaining COVID-19 relief loan proceeds under the Paycheck Protection Program (¡°PPP¡±) program.
Rudy Theophin of Miramar, Fla., was the president and sole owner of Theophin Consulting LLC. In June 2020, Theophin submitted an online PPP loan application for $123,675 through the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) to provide relief for the economic effect caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The loan application and supporting documentation falsely stated the number of employees and the average monthly payroll for Theophin Consulting. Once approved, Theophin transferred a portion of the funds to another person, another portion to an investment account in his name, and he used the remaining funds toward the purchase of a condominium. Theophin ran for mayor of Miramar in 2023.
A sentencing hearing is set on July 15 in Fort Lauderdale before U.S. District Court Judge Rodney Smith. Theophin faces up to 20 years in prison.
U.S. Attorney Hayden P. O¡¯Byrne for the Southern District of Florida and Special Agent in Charge Emmanuel Gomez of the IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), Miami Field Office, made the announcement.
IRS-CI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Killoran is prosecuting the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jorge Delgado is handling asset forfeiture.
IRS-CI is the criminal investigative arm of the IRS, responsible for conducting financial crime investigations, including tax fraud, narcotics trafficking, money-laundering, public corruption, healthcare fraud, identity theft and more. IRS-CI special agents are the only federal law enforcement agents with investigative jurisdiction over violations of the Internal Revenue Code, obtaining a 90% federal conviction rate. The agency has 20 field offices located across the U.S. and 14 attach¨¦ posts abroad.