Pennsylvania man pleads guilty in pandemic relief fraud scheme

PHILADELPHIA COUNTY, Pa. (WHTM) — A Pennsylvania man pleaded guilty Thursday to federal charges, accused of defrauding pandemic relief programs.

Tracy Hardy, 52, of Philadelphia, pleaded guilty to four counts of wire fraud and one count of making a false claim upon the United States.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, Hardy is accused of developing two separate schemes — one to obtain disaster-related loans he wasn’t entitled to and another to defraud a union through inflated and false bids for a construction project.

One scheme occurred from May 2020 to May 2022, in which he allegedly defrauded the Small Business Administration and lenders through the Paycheck Protection Program and the Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program.

He owns several Philadelphia County businesses and received more than $2 Million in pandemic relief funds under false pretenses.

Additionally, as co-owner and operator of a construction company, Hardy is accused of falsifying a bid to inflate the price of a union hall renovation by at least $45,000.