This week, the owners of multiple trucking companies admitted to fraudulently obtaining hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of pandemic relief funds.
On June 16, 2025, Ajay Chawla, 60, and his wife, Ruhi Chawla, 50, pleaded guilty to wire fraud, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Ohio.
The couple received more than $900,000 total from four Payroll Protection Plan (PPP) loans and three Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) taken on behalf of their various trucking businesses.
Officials say that on loan applications, the couple falsely reported the number of employees and gross revenues for their businesses: Prime Transportation and Logistics Inc., ABC Trucking Inc., Apex Truck Lines LLC, and A1 Diesel Truck Repair LLC.
Additionally, Ajay Chawla admitted to submitting a false statement to Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration regarding the ownership of Apex Truck Lines.
“The investigative efforts of the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) and its partners, along with the prosecutorial work of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, demonstrate the commitment to pursuing, capturing, and prosecuting those who try to defraud the American people,” said TIGTA Special Agent-in-Charge Kelly Moening.
“Today’s guilty pleas underscore our steadfast commitment to identifying and addressing fraud that undermines the integrity of Department of Transportation programs and requirements,” said Anthony Licari, Special Agent in Charge, Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General, Midwestern Region. “Greed has no place in pandemic relief programs, and together with our law enforcement and prosecutorial partners, we will continue to hold offenders accountable.”
The maximum punishment for wire fraud is 20 years in prison.
This case was investigated by the Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, the Department of Labor Office of Inspector General and the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration.
