An Anchorage businessman has agreed to pay the federal government nearly $400,000 to avoid criminal prosecution after he was accused of pandemic relief fraud.
In May, federal prosecutors accused Bob Gross, 65, of lying on applications for CARES Act funding about things like how many people he employed and how much revenue his businesses generated.
Related: Anchorage hotel owner lied to get pandemic relief money, prosecutors say
Now they say Gross has agreed to pay $397,990 to settle the case.
Gross is co-owner of Inlet Tower Hotel and Suites, a prominent 15-story building that was one of the first high-rises built in Anchorage. According to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the alleged fraud included other businesses in which Gross had an ownership interest: Glacier State Services, Bistro IT, RB Enterprises, Meritage Management, AK Denali Group and 32 Mile Investments.
According to a criminal complaint filed in May, Gross received a total of more than $1 million in fraudulently obtained funds. But prosecutors now say he’s agreed to pay back $164,000, along with $242,990 in damages.
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Casey Grove is host of Alaska News Nightly, a general assignment reporter and an editor at Alaska Public Media. Reach him atcgrove@alaskapublic.org. Read more about Caseyhere.
