In September 2024, Lorenzo Gordon, a 41-year-old former professional basketball player from Chesterfield, Missouri, pleaded guilty to one felony count of theft of government money in the U.S. District Court in St. Louis. Gordon admitted to fraudulently applying for two Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans and three Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) during the COVID-19 pandemic.
On January 27, 2025, former professional basketball player Lorenzo Gordon, 41, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Rodney W. Sippel to five years of probation, 200 hours of community service, and ordered to pay $308,354 in restitution for committing pandemic loan fraud. According to the DOJ, in 2020 Gordon fraudulently applied for two Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans and three Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) using the names of three companies: Logo Fitness LLC, Elite 50 Basketball Training LLC, and Elite Health and Fitness Company LLC. He received $107,074 in PPP loans and $165,700 in EIDL loans and advances. Prosecutors emphasized that Gordon exploited these programs for personal gain without experiencing any economic hardship, thereby depriving funds from those in genuine need during the COVID-19 pandemic. DOJ Press Release
