🔒Hamden man sentenced to 15 months for defrauding pandemic-relief programs

A Hamden man has been sentenced to 15 months in federal prison for orchestrating a scheme to defraud COVID-19 pandemic relief programs of more than $750,000, federal authorities announced. Omar Rajeh, 57, was sentenced Thursday by U.S. District Judge Stefan R. Underhill in Bridgeport. In addition to the prison term, Rajeh was ordered to serve two years of supervised release and pay restitution. According to authorities, Rajeh owned the New Haven restaurant Mediterranea LLC and a hookah lounge, M. Café Inc. In order to apply for pandemic-relief funding, in July 2020 Rajeh re-registered a business he dissolved in 2018, Al Amir LLC, according to court documents. Between June 2020 and May 2021, Rajeh through his businesses applied for and received $1,057,244 through Paycheck Protection Program and Economic Injury Disaster Loans, authorities said. The loan applications included false information, such as fabricated employee counts, inflated payroll figures and falsified IRS forms. Also, the filings misrepresented that Al Amir LLC was operational in February 2020, according to the documents. Rajeh used the majority of the fraudulently obtained funds for personal and family expenses, sent some money overseas, purchased property in North Haven and covered general business expenses, authorities said. He also paid about 10% of the loan proceeds to his accountant, Yasir Hamed, who authorities say assisted in preparing the fraudulent paperwork. Hamed has pleaded guilty to related charges and is awaiting sentencing. Rajeh agreed to pay $758,279 in restitution – the amount he acknowledged was obtained by fraud. The government agreed not to pursue an additional $298,965 in funds that Rajeh received for his legitimate restaurant business. Rajeh was ordered to report to prison on Oct. 1.