Although the coronavirus is still with us, the many business shutdowns and regional lockdowns have largely subsided. In addition to the loss of life, the damage done to the economy was devastating to many, and it still lingers to this day.

People lost their jobs. Wealth inequality grew. And many businesses had to close their doors.

As part of the CARES Act, the Payroll Protection Program (PPP) was created to provide government-backed loans to businesses. These loans were intended to prevent mass layoffs of employees, ensuring Americans would still have a paycheck to afford their groceries and rent.

According to the CCJ, the trucking industry secured up to $12 billion in PPP loans. Both local and OTR trucking companies took just over 2% of the PPP-backed loans that were issued by banks.

Due to the nature of the crisis and the Paycheck program, there were strict limitations to how this money could be spent. And now one trucking company is in the crosshairs of the US Attorney’s office for misusing funds.

FreightWaves reports that Bailey’s Trucking LLC and its owner Xavier Bailey were charged last week with misuing about $144k in PPP loans. Representation for the US Attorney claims that the Mississippi trucking company misrepresented the size of the company’s payroll, which allowed Bailey’s to claim loan funds more than it would otherwise have been allowed (if it was allowed any at all).

Although the charge is a civil complaint for monetary damages (not a criminal complaint), the allegation would be a real shame if true. This money was designed for struggling truck drivers to keep the lights on, and any fraud or misrepresentation could prevent further help to drivers in the future.