ANTRUM COSTON, aged 41 and a resident of New Haven, has been sentenced to 37 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for a series of crimes including fraud, money laundering, and drug offenses. The sentencing was carried out by U.S. District Judge Stefan R. Underhill in Bridgeport.
Coston’s crimes were related to the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, which provided financial assistance to individuals and businesses affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. One form of assistance was forgivable loans for small businesses through the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP).
According to court documents, in April 2021, Coston applied for and received two PPP loans totaling $41,666 for a supposed cleaning business he operated. He made false statements in the loan applications, including claiming that his business was established in 2018 when it had not been, and that it had earned $114,658 in gross income in 2019 when he had been incarcerated throughout that year. In February 2022, Coston sought loan forgiveness, falsely stating that the funds had been used for payroll costs.
In another incident on December 31, 2021, Coston was stopped by police while driving in West Haven. After initially stopping, he fled, nearly hitting an officer before being found hiding in a parking lot nearby. A search of his vehicle and person uncovered distribution quantities of heroin/fentanyl, cocaine, and crack cocaine, along with over $2,000 in cash. A search of his residence also revealed a ballistic vest, $2,790 in cash, a small quantity of crack, and drug paraphernalia.
On December 20, 2022, Coston pleaded guilty to wire fraud, money laundering, and possession with intent to distribute controlled substances.
Coston, currently out on bond, is scheduled to report to prison on November 29.
His criminal history includes multiple convictions, including two prior federal convictions. In 2004, he was convicted in federal court of possession of a firearm by a felon, receiving a 37-month prison sentence and an additional 18 months for violating supervised release conditions in June 2007. In December 2017, Coston was sentenced to 40 months in prison and three years of supervised release for gun and drug offenses. He was released from federal prison in April 2020 and was on supervised release when he committed the PPP loan fraud, money laundering, and drug possession offenses.
The case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation Division, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and the West Haven Police Department, with prosecution led by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer R. Laraia.
By FCCT Editorial Team
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