Local man sentenced to year in federal prison for COVID-19 relief fraud

CINCINNATI – Herman Brunis, 62, of Cincinnati, was sentenced in U.S. District Court to 12 months and one day in prison for conspiring to commit wire fraud. Brunis was also ordered to pay nearly $300,000 in restitution.

According to court documents, in June and August 2020, Brunis submitted false applications for COVID-19 relief funds. Brunis applied for two Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) for two business entities, G Max Design and Construction and G Max LLC. Both entities were held in the name of his wife at the time, Gina Brunis.

Brunis used a co-conspirator in Texas to prepare the applications with a design towards maximizing the chances of approval. His applications contained false information about the businesses, their payroll and their financials. In total, Brunis received $299,800 in funds that he then spent on personal items.

Gina Brunis was also charged federally in the Southern District of Ohio. The application preparer in Texas has been identified and law enforcement in Texas is handling the criminal matters related to the co-conspirator’s larger fraud scheme.

Kelly A. Norris, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, and Karen Wingerd, Special Agent in Charge, Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Criminal Investigation, announced the sentence imposed on July 15 by Senior U.S. District Court Judge Susan J. Dlott. Assistant United States Attorney Timothy S. Mangan is representing the United States in this case.

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