A Utah businessman, Marcelo Federico Torre, has been sentenced to 18 months in prison for fraudulently obtaining $628,307 from the COVID-19 Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) Loan. The sentence was handed down by Senior U.S. District Court Judge Clark Waddoups in Salt Lake City. In addition to the prison term, Torre will serve three years of supervised release and must pay restitution equal to the defrauded amount.
Torre, aged 42 and a resident of Draper, Utah, pleaded guilty to wire fraud and possession of stolen mail on April 10, 2025. He admitted to submitting a fraudulent loan application through U.S. Bank on behalf of his company, Offerworks Inc., between April 27 and May 5, 2021. The application contained false statements about the company’s operations and financial status.
Acting U.S. Attorney Felice John Viti commented on the case: “The amount of money Mr. Torre stole from the U.S. government and taxpayers…is significant and his fraud will not go unpunished.” Viti expressed hope that this sentence would deter others from exploiting government programs intended to support businesses during crises.
The investigation involved several agencies including the U.S. Postal Investigation Service, Draper City Police Department, Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation Division, and others. Assistant United States Attorney Todd C. Bouton prosecuted the case.
The Fraud Section of the Criminal Division continues its efforts against PPP-related fraud schemes under the CARES Act framework.
