Former NFL player, Atlanta entrepreneur Travis Lee Harris sentenced for $1 million pandemic fraud

ATLANTA — The U.S. Department of Justice announced Thursday that former professional football player and Atlanta businessman Travis Lee Harris was sentenced to time in federal prison for wire fraud after falsely applying for a Paycheck Protection Program loan during the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to federal officials, Harris, 43, applied for and received nearly $1 million through a false loan application.

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U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan said after receiving the funds, he “blatantly used [them] to fund a lavish lifestyle.”

Buchanan said the charges presented in court were focused on a PPP loan application Harris submitted in June 2020 for his business, Atlanta Luxury Cars & Trucks LLC.

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He used false information on his application to request $968,405, submitting fraudulent information about how many employees he had, payroll information and revenue levels for his business, according to the Justice Department.

“Based on Harris’ fraudulent representations, the lender deposited $968,405 into the bank account for Atlanta Luxury Cars & Trucks LLC. Harris soon began transferring the PPP loan funds into his personal bank accounts. In the following months, Harris posted to social media pictures of him holding a large stack of cash, buying a Rolex watch and other jewelry, and renting a room at a luxury hotel. Harris also used a portion of the PPP loan funds to finance other start-up businesses,” USDOJ said.

Harris was indicted in January 2023 and eventually pled guilty to wire fraud charges on Feb. 14, according to USDOJ.

Now, officials say he’s been sentenced to 16 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and was ordered to pay $997,457.15 in restitution.

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