AURORA, Colo. (KDVR) — A man from Aurora was sentenced to 66 months in prison for wire fraud and money laundering that resulted in the abuse of over $350,000 through the COVID-19 CARES Act.

According to the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado, 39-year-old Russell Ray Foreman will spend five years and five months in prison for committing money laundering and wire fraud between March 29 and Oct. 6 in 2020.

According to the plea agreement, Foreman submitted seven fraudulent Economic Injury Disaster Loan applications. Two of the applications were approved, and the companies created by Foreman received $196,500.

On May 14, 2020, Foreman also filed false statements about the number of employees, gross revenue, cost of goods sold, and the dates his businesses were founded. Through the Paycheck Protection Program, he was funded $20,052, according to the plea agreement.

The plea agreement said Foreman also aided and abetted a codefendant into applying for a false Economic Injury Disaster Loan and received $150,000.

During the hearing, the court decided that Foreman was associated with unsuccessful applications under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES) which totaled over $2 million.

“We are proud of the work being done by our partners at IRS-CI to investigate and bring to justice people who took advantage of these programs that were designed to help people in need during the COVID-19 pandemic,” said U.S. Attorney Cole Finegan. “We will continue to prosecute anyone who tries to defraud the United States Government out of money that was made supposed to be used to keep small businesses afloat during this national emergency.”

The judge sentenced Foreman to 66 months on Aug. 12. Foreman was also ordered to pay $367,000 in restitution.