CLEVELAND — Three brothers are facing federal charges for allegedly swindling the government out of millions of dollars in pandemic relief money.
The brothers are charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud and aggravated theft, according to court records.
The government gave millions of dollars to more than two dozen businesses that listed a single residence as their address.
The businesses, with names like Fresh Ohio Berries, Ohio Natural Beets and Organic Ohio Broccoli, only existed on paper, government officials said.
The homeowner, Zaur Kalantarli, and his two brothers were indicted Monday.
The feds say the brothers created more than 70 fake farming companies to get their hands on money meant to help struggling businesses during the pandemic.
In total, they received nearly $7 million.
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You can watch more about the fake farms in the player below:
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