Crivitz Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for PPP Fraud

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Robert J. Solberg, 39, of Crivitz, Wisconsin, has been sentenced to 18 months in federal prison by Senior District Judge William C. Griesbach, said Gregory J. Haanstad, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin on Tuesday.

According to court records, Solberg received $20,833 from the Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”) after applying to the U.S. Small Business Administration. To obtain the money, Solberg falsely claimed that he was not then under indictment or convicted of a felony. In fact, Solberg had months earlier pled guilty to conspiracy to commit odometer tampering and was awaiting sentencing in federal court, Justice Department officials said.

According to court documents obtained by The Wisconsin Law Journal, Solberg was represented by Attorney Christopher Froelich.

At the sentencing hearing, Judge Griesbach noted the aggravated nature of Solberg’s offense and rejected Solberg’s claim that he did not know how to answer the questions accurately. Although Solberg requested a minimal sentence, the judge determined that an 18-month term in federal prison was required to send a message to Solberg that theft from government programs, especially while awaiting sentencing on another criminal matter, would result in serious consequences, officials noted.

After serving his prison term, Solberg also will be required to spend three years on supervised release, officials added.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Daniel R. Humble and Julie F. Stewart.