FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – A former Broward Sheriff’s Office jail lieutenant is facing federal charges after prosecutors say he received more than $100,000 in fraudulently-obtained COVID-19 relief loans.
Ernest Bernard Gonder Jr., 41, of Port St. Lucie, was charged with two counts of wire fraud, the U.S. Department of Justice announced Friday.
Recommended Videos
Gonder is accused of falsifying information to receive $167,750 in Paycheck Protection Program loans, purportedly on behalf of “EBG Properties” and “The Impact Center of Broward County.”
But prosecutors allege that Gonder instead used the money to “enrich himself.”
According to a biography on the BSO website, Gonder joined the agency in 2001 as a detention deputy and rose the ranks to become an executive officer at its North Broward Bureau jail facility. He became an ordained pastor in 2010.
A BSO spokesperson said Gonder resigned on Oct. 31 for “personal reasons” while under an internal investigation.
Prosecutors said he appeared in federal court on Tuesday and could face up to two decades in prison on each count.
Gonder is one of more than a dozen current or former BSO employees charged with PPP loan fraud.
In October, prosecutors charged 17 then-current or former BSO staffers with PPP loan fraud. Sources at the time told Local 10 News that as many as 40 employees are or were under investigation for COVID-19 fraud.
During a news conference following the arrest of the 17 employees, Sheriff Gregory Tony said “there’s no place for this in this organization.”
“How can we have anyone wearing a badge that is stealing from the American people?” he asked at the time.
Read the indictment: