Lubbock Woman Sentenced to 30 Months in Federal Prison for PPP Loan Frau
In a ruling on Thursday, U.S. District Judge James Wesley Hendrix sentenced Hope Leticia Hastey, a 51-year-old Lubbock resident, to 30 months in federal prison for concealing Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan fraud. The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas, Leigha Simonton.
Ms. Hastey, charged in August 2023, pleaded guilty to one count of misprision of a felony. Alongside the prison term, Judge Hendrix ordered her to pay $3,545,894.36 in restitution.
According to court documents, Ms. Hastey was the founder of Radar Supports, LLC, a company offering contract services, and Radar Foundations, Inc., a non-profit organizing community fundraisers for individuals with intellectual limitations. In May 2020, an assumed name certificate was filed for “Radar Supports Construction,” a non-functioning entity.
Working with accomplice Andrew Travis Johnson, 59, Ms. Hastey employed a bank fraud scheme during the COVID-19 pandemic to secure PPP loans for Radar Supports, Radar Supports Construction, and Radar Foundations. The loans, totaling nearly $3.5 million, were obtained by inflating payroll data and fabricating information.
Despite signing loan documents certifying proper use of funds, Ms. Hastey failed to report the fraud. To create a facade of legitimacy, she wrote a check intended for a colleague but deposited it into her own account. The funds were then misused for personal expenses, including heavy equipment, a new home, renovations, vehicles, vacations, clothing, cosmetic and dental procedures, college tuition, and wedding expenses.
In a separate case, Mr. Johnson pleaded guilty to multiple charges, including bank fraud and identity theft, receiving a 180-month federal prison sentence in August 2023. The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation Division, and Homeland Security Investigations.
