A Leesburg man was arrested Tuesday for fraudulently obtaining over $ 2.5 million in loans and spending the money on luxury goods under the CARES Act Paycheck Protection Program.

According to court records, 48-year-old Didier Kindambu received two PPP loans to help companies affected by the COVID-19 pandemic continue to pay their employees salaries or wages. Investigators allege that Kindambu created fraudulent payroll documents for two companies he owns and submitted those documents in support of PPP loan applications. In total, Kindambu received approximately $ 2,501,753 in loan proceeds, some of which was spent on items unrelated to legitimate PPP-related expenses, including a Lexus automobile and a Cessna airplane.

Kindambu is charged with bank fraud. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison.

Kindambu is President of Papillion Air Inc., a cargo and charter company based at Leesburg Executive Airport. The company offers flight instruction and performs aircraft maintenance services at the airport.

The Cessna plane was seized by an IRS representative at Leesburg Airport early Tuesday morning.

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