A former New York City Police Department Detective (NYPD) was sentenced to four years in prison over a $300K COVID relief fraud scheme. He was sentenced to 48 months in prison on Wednesday as he was proven guilty of a wire fraud conspiracy charge. Despite being a law enforcement officer, he was involved in a fake scheme involving the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP).

The accused is John Bolden. He pleaded guilty on February 18. He was then ordered to pay $303,138 in restitution and $112,002 in forfeiture. While working as a New York Police Department detective in 2020, Bolden also owned a tax preparation business. During the COVID pandemic, the PPP was introduced to help people. However, Bolden used that for fake activity by getting funds via illegal means. He submitted fake loan applications with fake information. He helped more than 65 people obtain the PPP funds.

Another former NYPD detective, Anthony Carreira, was also among these people. He was aware of the false documents submitted to get the PPP funds. Furthermore, he advised others to do the same to get the relief fund money. Christian McKenzie, Bolden’s cousin, also received funds from the same fake scheme.

Carreira was sentenced on March 6, 2026. McKenzie will be sentenced on July 14, 2026. According to prosecutors, Bolden created fake IRS Schedule C tax forms. He added these to the loan applications. These documents had false gross and net income to cheat the system.

Prosecutors said, “Bolden sought to steal nearly $3 million from the PPP, and succeeded in stealing at least several hundred thousand dollars.” The department has been disappointed in Bolden’s conduct.

FBI Assistant Director in Charge James C. Barnacle released a statement, “John Bolden betrayed his oath to protect the community he served by secretly helping his co-defendants, family, and friends in stealing millions of dollars in PPP funds. While an overwhelming majority of NYPD employees strictly adhere to the values of integrity and honor, some exploit the system for personal enrichment. The FBI, NYPD, and our federal partner agencies continue working together to hold those accountable who exploit federally funded relief programs.”

United States Attorney Joseph Nocella stated, “Despite being a police officer sworn to uphold the law, the defendant organized a scheme that enabled dozens of individuals, including clients, family members, and NYPD co-workers, to obtain millions in federal funds using fake tax records.”

The fund was created during the pandemic to help people with small and struggling businesses. Bolden misused it during a national crisis, committing the crime between May 2020 and October 2022.