FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, July 31, 2025
Brooklyn Man Indicted for PPP Loan Fraud and Voter Petition Scheme
Defendant Allegedly Stole More Than $104,000 in COVID Relief Funds,
Also Charged with Filing Fraudulent Petitions to Run for U.S. Senate
Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez, together with New York State Attorney General Letitia James, today announced that a Brooklyn man has been indicted for allegedly stealing more than $104,000 in COVID-19 relief funds and, separately, for submitting fraudulent election petitions to appear on the 2024 Democratic primary ballot for U.S. Senate.
District Attorney Gonzalez said, “The defendant allegedly defrauded a critical pandemic relief program and attempted to deceive voters through a fraudulent election petition. Misusing public funds intended to help small businesses recover, and fabricating support to appear on the ballot, are serious allegations that reflect a troubling disregard for the law and public trust. Whether it’s stealing taxpayer money or trying to manipulate an election, these alleged actions demand accountability. My office remains committed to protecting both public resources and the integrity of our democratic process.”
Attorney General James said, “New Yorkers must be able to trust that our democracy and our economy are protected from fraud. Khaled Salem allegedly tried to undermine an election and critical financial aid to businesses with his schemes, but today we are bringing him to justice. I thank District Attorney Gonzalez and the New York State Board of Elections for their collaboration in this investigation and efforts to root out fraud wherever it arises.”
The Co-Executive Directors of the NYS Board of Elections, Raymond J. Riley, III and Kristen Zebrowski Stavisk, said, “The State Board is proud to work with law enforcement on this matter. We want to thank the District Attorney and his team for their diligence and action. While incidents of election fraud are rare, they are serious and unacceptable. New Yorkers deserve to know that those who attempt to undermine the democratic process will face consequences.”
The District Attorney identified the defendant as Khaled Salem, 53, of Bay Ridge. He is charged in a 60-count indictment with second-degree grand larceny, first-degree offering a false instrument for filing, second-degree criminal possession of a forged instrument, second- and third-degree identity theft and a violation of New York State Election Law. He was ordered released without bail and to return to court on September 24, 2025.
The District Attorney said that, according to the evidence, the defendant first applied for a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan on April 6, 2020, for American Human Rights, Inc. (AHR), a nonprofit organization he incorporated in 2019. The defendant received a $104,166 PPP loan on March 15, 2021. The defendant later applied for loan forgiveness claiming that the required amount of loan proceeds was used for payroll costs. The loan application and loan forgiveness application allegedly included false representations about payroll and listed employees who never worked for or were associated with AHR.
Separately, on April 2, 2024, the defendant allegedly had a 12-volume, 5,900 page petition submitted to the New York State Board of Elections, seeking to qualify for the Democratic primary ballot. According to the petition, three subscribing witnesses collected approximately 30,000 signatures across New York State over a twenty-day period. Those subscribing witnesses, however, allegedly denied collecting any signatures for defendant or his campaign. The petition is also alleged to have included forged names, fake addresses and false witness signatures. Ultimately, the defendant was not placed on the ballot.
The District Attorney thanked the New York State Attorney General’s Office and the New York State Board of Elections for their assistance in the investigation, as well as Intelligence Analyst Veranika Basak and Paralegal Jezebel Negrete-Ugaz, both of the District Attorney’s Investigations Division, and KCDA Detective Investigators.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Adam Libove, Deputy Chief of the District Attorney’s Public Integrity Bureau, under the supervision of Assistant District Attorney Laura Neubauer, Bureau Chief, Assistant District Attorney Michel Spanakos, Deputy Chief of the Investigations Division, and Assistant District Attorney Patricia McNeill, Chief of the Investigations Division.
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An indictment is an accusatory instrument and not proof of a defendant’s guilt.