SPRINGFIELD, Missouri (KY3) – Multiple Springfield restaurant owner John Michael Felts used various companies to secure Paycheck Protection Program loans and financially damaging disasters, according to federal court documents. You have been accused of fraudulently applying for a loan.
Mr. Felts is a prominent proprietor of familiar restaurants such as Hot Crackers, Taco Habitat, and Bourbon & Beer.
Federal documents indicate that Felts obtained loans using the following companies: LLC, and Concept Pro LLC.
According to financial records obtained by the IRS, Felts applied for 12 PPP loans using the companies listed above. Federal officials said most of the companies Felt used had no employees when he filed his application, even though they said they had employees and were operating at the time. said it was not working.
Felts also applied for 13 other PPP loans using synthetic or phony companies owned by him. According to court documents, synthetic identity fraud occurs when criminals mix real and fake information to create new identities in order to apply for credit.
Felts is accused of using the PPP loan funds to purchase or repay loans on several private properties from May 2020 to November 2021. Federal authorities seized all of these items in September 2022.
- 2020 Lexus RX350
- Felts applied for a PPP loan through E-8 Productions in April 2020, according to court documents. Felts said in his application that the loan was for salary and rent/mortgage, and that at E-8 he had 32 employees.
- Felts deposited a $428,375.00 loan and spent about $69,000 in May 2020 to purchase a Lexus for his mother-in-law in St. Louis.
- Authorities seized the car from his mother-in-law.
- 2020 Ford Transit Van
- In April 2020, Felts applied for another PPP loan under Habit Restaurant Holdings LLC. According to court documents, Felts falsely reported that the business had 19 employees of his and an average monthly income he made of $130,810.90.
- Felts made multiple wire transfers totaling $298,484.90 between May 2020 and August 2020 to Taco Habitat GMP LLC accounts, according to federal documents.
- Felts deposited a loan of $327,000. In June 2020, Felts purchased a “catering van” for her $25,984. This is part of his PPP loan that he deposited. Records from the dealer show that the van was sold to and registered with Taco Habitat GMP LLC.
- Authorities seized a van from Octopus Habitat in Springfield.
- 2020 jeep wrangler
- In May 2020, Felts applied for a PPP loan for Taco Habitat Branson LLC. In the application, Felts said the business has 26 employees of his, who earn him an average monthly salary of $124,000.
- Felt deposited a loan of $310,000. According to court documents, Felts obtained his EIDL for the company, claiming 26 employees and his $980,000 in gross revenue, and $425,000 in cost of sales when not in business. bottom.
- In July 2020, Felts used $58,594 in funds to purchase a “catering car.” In August the Jeep was registered by Jason Butcher. Bucher submitted a signed affidavit from his Felts stating that the Jeep was a gift to his Bucher.
- Authorities seized a Wrangler from Butcher in Branson.
- 2018 Cadillac CT6
- In April 2020, a PPP application was filed by “Peter Gollan” on behalf of Diagnostic Equipment Inc. Federal documents show that “Gollan” was the fake ID used by Felts. According to the application, the business had 55 employees of his, and the average monthly income he made was $330,148.
- “Golan” also applied for an EIDL and made claims that were incorrectly listed on the application.
- Felts used the “Gollan” alias to apply for separate PPP and EIDL loans. The PPP loan was $398,825 and the EIDL was $149,900.
- From May to June 2020, Felts used $39,176 to repay loans secured by Cadillac, according to federal documents. The vehicle he registered with Felts was seized from the family.
- Seized in Walnut Shade, Missouri.
- 2021 Subaru Outback
- Between May and June 2020, Felts transferred $40,778 to pay off the loan used to purchase the 2018 Jeep Wrangler. In July 2020, the Felts brothers registered the Jeep and submitted a signed affidavit from Felts stating that the Jeep was a gift.
- Later that month, the Felts brothers traded their 2018 Wrangler for a 2020 Wrangler at a local dealer.
- In April 2022, the Felts brothers traded their 2020 Wrangler for a 2021 Subaru Outback.
- Subaru seized at Branson.
- 2020 Ford Transit Van
- In April 2020, Felts applied for a PPP loan using Cluck 2 LLC, saying it has 18 employees and an average monthly salary of $111,363.77. Felt left a $278,400 loan on his toes.
- In May 2020, Felts purchased a “catering van” for $26,051.
- Seized from Springfield Hot Crackers.
- 2021 Galleon 470SKY Yacht
- In May 2021, Felts applied for a PPP loan using the company name Habitat Restaurant Holdings LLC. He claimed that the business has 28 employees of his and the average monthly income he earns is $115,229.86. Felts said he deposited a loan worth $403,304.
- In the summer of 2021, Felts wrote several checks through Habitat Restaurant Holdings LLC to be paid to Taco Habitat, according to federal documents. In June 2021, Felts transferred his $25,000 of his PPP loan to his personal checking account. Federal officials say he funded part of a $50,000 wire transfer to MarineMax East of the Lake of the Ozarks for “the purchase of a new boat…”.
- The wire transfer, along with other funds, was used to purchase the yacht for $1.3 million, according to MarineMax records.
- Felt then transferred $213,000 to a personal account to “purchase a new boat…”, according to federal documents.
- The yacht was seized in Branson.
- Baseball memorabilia and jewelry, federal court documents show:
- In May 2020, Felts applied for another PPP loan using his company, Super’s Entertainment LLC, and the fake identity of “Tom Holland.” Flets claimed that the business has 86 employees of his and an average monthly income he earns of $464,449. He deposited his $1,161,100 loan.
- He used the alias “Tom Holland” to apply for more loans and grants.
- He used the funds from these loans to purchase a two-tone Rolex watch and two ladies sterling silver bracelets. Felt also used these funds to purchase a $9,000 he 18 carat yellow gold Rolex, and on another occasion he purchased two pieces of jewelry totaling over $4,000.
- In March 2021, Felts paid $13,041 for various sports memorabilia from an auction agency in New Jersey. He bought his 1952 Tops #312 Jackie Robinson baseball card and the 1980–1981 Top Rally Birds, Julius Erving and Magic Johnson rookie cards, signed by all three.
- Felts used his Cluck 2 company to apply for another PPP loan and used the funds to purchase more jewelry. He spent his $16,783 on a “RoyalT” Tacori eternity band for women, according to federal documents. He returned the next day to return the wedding ring.
- In another, he purchased even more sports memorabilia from the same auction house in New Jersey. This time, he purchased his 1909-1911 Ty Cobb baseball card and the “2015-16 “Trio Autographs” Larry Bird/Magic Johnson/Julius Erving.”
Federal officials say Felts is also accused of using PPP and EIDL loan funds to purchase some land in the Jones Springs area of Greene County. Using the same company and the alias “Peter Golan”, he applied for a loan to buy the land.
KY3 has reached out to Felts and his attorneys regarding these accusations and has shared these statements.
“I wish I could tell the whole story, but my lawyer advised me not to say a single word. doing.”
“Mr. Felts has been cooperating with authorities in their investigation of a business associate who engaged in improper business dealings. I can not do it.”
Felt is scheduled to appear in court on the Jones Springs land in January 2024.
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