DALLAS — A Lubbock woman convicted on felony charges related to a fraudulent business scheme was sentenced to 30 months in prison, the Department of Justice announced Monday.
Hope Leticia Hastey, 51, was convicted and pleaded guilty in August 2023 to one count of misprision (concealment) of a felony.
Hastey is the former CEO of Radar Supports LLC, a company that said it provided certain contract services, including speech and occupational therapy, and Radar Foundations, Inc., a nonprofit that said it organized community fundraisers to benefit individuals with intellectual limitations.
Radar Supports employed about 10 people, and Radar Foundations did not employ anyone, according to plea documents.
Hastey employed Andrew Travis Johnson, 59, to provide bookkeeping services for her business. During the pandemic, Johnson fraudulently applied for PPP loans and fabricated Radar Supports LLC payroll data, according to court documents.
Hastey signed the loan documents and failed to notify authorities of the fraud. Instead, to make it appear as though the loan proceeds were used for payroll costs, Hastey wrote a check to a colleague who worked for Radar Supports, the documents say. However, the check was never given to the individual. Hastey deposited the check into another bank account she controlled, according to court documents.
Prosecutors said that Hastey submitted a total of five fraudulent loan applications to the PPP lending plan seeking about $3.5 million in PPP loans.
Plea documents reveal Hastey spent the money on personal expenses, including heavy equipment to help family members start a new business, a cash purchase of a new home; home renovations, multiple vehicles, vacations, clothing, cosmetic and dental procedures, college tuition and expenses for a wedding. All five loans were forgiven.
Johnson pleaded guilty to three counts of bank fraud, one count of identity theft and one count of engaging in monetary transactions in property derived from specified unlawful activity in March 2023.
He was sentenced in August 2023 to 180 months in federal prison.
