Frankenmuth Man Accused of Illegally Taking PPP Loans

A Frankenmuth man may face prison time after being charged with defrauding the government.

The Michigan Attorney General’s office has charged 66-year-old Anthony Golden with false pretenses in excess of $20,000, filing false tax returns and using a computer to commit a crime after Golden allegedly received pandemic related Paycheck Protection Program loans when he wasn’t eligible for them. Investigators say Golden applied for and received two loans totaling nearly $41,000 by claiming his payroll income was affected by the pandemic. The Attorney General’s office say this was not the case.

Golden is also accused of receiving forgiveness on those loans by claiming they were used in compliance with PPP rules. He allegedly did not report the forgiven loans as income on his state tax returns.

Golden’s next court hearing is on July 27.