The owner of a Pennsylvania real estate company faces a $1.7 million tax lien from the Internal Revenue Service. It’s the latest step in a legal saga that began late last year with a 16-count federal indictment for bank fraud and money laundering related to the pandemic-era Paycheck Protection Program (PPP).
According to reporting from the Erie Times-News, Aaron B. Collins’ criminal indictment was unsealed in February and alleges that he used $633,718 in PPP funds for “personal expenditures to benefit himself and his family,” including buying cars and cryptocurrency.
The tax lien, which is part of a civil case that’s separate from the criminal fraud case, was filed in late March against Garner Blake Real Estate LLC, Collins’ real estate company, in the amount of $1,692,796.
All of the criminal charges against Collins are felonies, with possible maximum sentences of 30 years for each of the five fraud charges and 10-year maximums on each of the 11 money-laundering charges.
Aside from his real estate business, Collins is also accused of applying for PPP loans related to entities Awareness Ministries, Inc., “a social advocacy organization,” and Push Forward LLC, a child care service provider. Records show that PPP loans to Push Forward and Garner Blake Real Estate were forgiven, while the loan to Awareness Ministries was not.
The tax lien was filed against Collins’ real estate company only and was for unpaid payroll taxes in 2019 and 2020.
Collins pleaded not guilty to the criminal charges at an arraignment on Feb. 4 and is currently free on a $10,000 bond. He is being represented by a member of the federal public defender’s office.
Collins is a former Penn State football standout and the former executive director at Community Country Day School, as well as an assistant basketball coach at Erie First Christian Academy.
