Colorado man who received nearly $5 million in COVID-19 relief charged with fraud

A former Cherry Hills Village resident who received nearly $5 million in federal funds for COVID-19 relief was charged with wire fraud and money laundering related to those programs.

Joseph Ronald Trenkle, 54, received $1.8 million in Small Business Administration loans and $2.9 million in paycheck protection loans between April 2020 and February 2022, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado.

He now lives in Dorado, Puerto Rico.

After obtaining the first loan, Trenkle tried to increase the small business loans two times by making “false representations,” federal officials said.

Trenkle is also accused of submitting two fraudulent applications for paycheck protection loans and loan forgiveness.

A federal complaint detailing the case was not available to the public Wednesday.

Tenkle appeared in court on May 22. His next court date was not immediately available.

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