One attorney was left a sobbing mess after being sentenced for COVID-related fraud charges, as he admitted all guilt for his $4.4 million crime and claimed that he 'deserves to go to jail' as a result.
The unexpected nature of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 saw many companies receive significant amounts of funding to provide personal protective equipment (PPE) to individuals and hospitals that were incredibly short on supplies.
This allowed medical professionals to carry out their work safely and potentially saved the lives of countless individuals that would have otherwise suffered from cross-contamination, but not every contract was fulfilled in the way that it was originally intended to be.
There have been an alarming number of fraud cases surrounding funds granted for COVID contracts, and one lawyer has just found himself on the end of a significant prison sentence after pleading guilty for his illegal actions.
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Manhattan attorney Bryan McKenna has been accused of fraudulently accessing and using funds intended to pay for PPE shipments during the worldwide pandemic, spending them instead on his own personal life and romantic relationship at the time.
As reported by the New York Post, McKenna, 62, was involved in a deal between packaging manufacturer and distributor Elkay Plastics and business consulting firm AstZen Group, of which the latter had agreed to ship 500,000 boxes of medical-grade latex gloves that would be used by health institutions.
McKenna had agreed in January 2021 to hold the funds – which amounted to $4.45 million – in an escrow account until the shipment had been completed by AstZen Group, but he instead used the money himself — in part on his alleged romantic relationship with AstZen CEO Duni Zenaye.
By April of the same year the account had been completely drained of funds, with prosecutors in the fraud case claiming that McKenna had used the funds to "benefit his personal life," although his attorneys argue that he had encountered 'financial struggles' and used the money to help his family during a desparate time.uni
The court ruled against McKenna on Tuesday, however, handing him a prison sentence between two and six years in total, although the attorney appeared to be repentant for his actions.
"I did these crimes, I deserve to go to jail, I don't know what else to say for myself," he proclaimed in the midst of tears, adding that the granting of a six-week extension was "very helpful to my son," thanking the judge for the decision.