SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — A Herriman man has been charged with wire fraud after allegedly lying about his criminal history during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the Utah Attorney General’s Office.

Carter Lane Lucas, 47, is accused of defrauding COVID-19 relief programs, the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and the Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program (EIDL), out of $182,800 in loan funds.

Officials said that from Apr. 2020 through Aug. 2021, Lucas submitted multiple fraudulent applications, lying about his criminal history, and falsely claiming that he had not been convicted of a felony within the last five years, when in fact he had.

These loans were reportedly submitted through Mountain America Credit Union and the Small Business Administration.

Lucas then used these funds for his personal benefit, officials said.

Lucas is charged with three counts of wire fraud. His first court appearance on the indictment is scheduled for Nov. 15 at 2 p.m. at the Orrin G. Hatch United States District Courthouse in downtown Salt Lake City. 

The Utah Federal COVID-19 Fraud Strike Force is investigating this case. The Attorney General established this strike force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice, in partnership with agencies across government, to bolster efforts against pandemic-related fraud.

Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721.

An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.