A Florida man accused of numerous incidents of fraud and forgery produced for the federal agents who arrested him a fabricated pardon from former president and fellow Florida man Donald Trump, a ploy the agents didn’t fall for, the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Alexander Leszczynski, 22, of North Redington Beach was being investigated for wire fraud, bank fraud and money laundering in connection with two fraudulent Payroll Protection Plan loans, multiple counts of check kiting, and “check washing.”
Leszczynski used his various fictional charities, including a purported Christian charity he called Love & Bliss Inc., to apply for two PPP loans totaling $196,000, and he attempted to deposit $2.7 million of fraudulent checks into a bank account in an attempt to withdraw the money before the fraud was spotted.
Upon finding his bank accounts frozen as a result of the federal investigation, Leszcynski showed investigators a faked Presidential pardon, complete with Trump’s signature, absolving Leszcynski of all crimes.