MILWAUKEE, Wis. (WFRV) – A 39-year-old Crivitz man was sentenced to federal prison for committing fraud against the Paycheck Protection Program after applying to the U.S. Small Business Administration.

According to the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, Robert J. Solberg was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison after he received $20,833 from the Paycheck Protection Program.

To obtain the money, Solberg falsely claimed that he was not then under indictment or convicted of a felony. In fact, Solberg had months earlier pled guilty to conspiracy to commit odometer tampering and was awaiting sentencing in federal court.

At the sentencing, Judge William Griesbach noted the aggravated nature of Solberg’s offense and rejected Solberg’s claim that he did not know how to answer the questions accurately.

Although Solberg requested a minimal sentence, the judge determined that an 18-month term in federal prison was required to send a message to Solberg that theft from government programs, especially while awaiting sentencing on another criminal matter, would result in serious consequences.

After serving his prison term, Solberg also will be required to spend three years on supervised release. This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.