A federal jury in Orlando has found Shawn Michael Simmerer, 49, of Florida, and Seth Downes, 30, of Michigan, guilty of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and wire fraud related to a scheme targeting the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). Simmerer was also convicted on four counts of submitting false claims to the IRS connected to fraudulent Employee Retention Credits and Sick and Family Leave Credits.
The defendants face up to 20 years in federal prison for each count of wire fraud. Simmerer faces an additional maximum penalty of five years per false claim count. Sentencing is set for February 17, 2026.
Simmerer and Downes were first indicted on February 28, 2024. A superseding indictment followed on January 29, 2025.
According to evidence presented at trial, the defendants began their scheme in April 2020 by submitting PPP loan applications for multiple companies. Among these was “Your 10 Life Foundation,” a leadership training company founded by Simmerer. The applications falsely claimed employees and payroll that did not exist and included fabricated payroll records and tax returns that were either never filed or differed from those submitted to the IRS. Through these efforts, they secured over $344,000 in PPP loans. The loans were later forgiven through additional applications containing further false information.
Trial evidence also showed that Simmerer prepared and submitted tax returns for Your 10 Life Foundation claiming hundreds of thousands of dollars in COVID-related tax credits—specifically Employee Retention Credits and Sick and Family Leave Credits—that were fraudulent. As a result, he obtained more than $680,000 in refunds from the IRS.
“These defendants didn’t just cheat the system—they stole from the American people,” said Ron Loecker, Special Agent in Charge of IRS Criminal Investigation, Florida Field Office. “Their scheme was built on lies, but thanks to the relentless work of IRS Criminal Investigation and our law enforcement partners justice caught up with them. We will continue to follow the money and hold fraudsters accountable—no matter how complex the scheme.”
“These two individuals engineered a multi-pronged fraud scheme that included exploiting the Paycheck Protection Program to steal valuable funds meant for small businesses that depended on them,” said Caroline O’Brien-Buster, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Secret Service’s Orlando Field Office. “The U.S. Secret Service and our partners remain steadfast in our commitment to ensuring fraudsters like Mr. Simmerer and Mr. Downes are held accountable for their crimes.”
The Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation division and United States Secret Service led the investigation into this case. Assistant United States Attorneys Robert D. Sowell and Noah P. Dorman are prosecuting.
