A dentist in Texas has been sentenced to 18 months in a U.S. prison and ordered to pay nearly $1.5 million in restitution for COVID-19 relief fraud, according to the U.S. Justice Department.
Dr. Brian Bui, 43, of Wright & Bui Dental in Hurst, TX, had previously pleaded guilty to wire fraud. He reportedly collected $1.89 million in forgivable loans by using the dental practice to obtain at least two Paycheck Protection Program loans using false application paperwork.
He allegedly invented supporting documentation and lied about the number of employees at the practice and its payroll expenses, according to a press release dated June 5 from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Texas. Bui purportedly used the funds for nonbusiness, personal investments, which was not authorized under the relief program, according to the release.
