United States Attorney Erica H. MacDonald today announced the unsealing of a federal indictment charging KYLE WILLIAM BRENIZER, 32, with fraudulently obtaining $841,000 in Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans intended to provide relief for small businesses affected by COVID-19.[1] The indictment, which was returned under seal on August 19, 2020, charges BRENIZER with two counts of wire fraud and two counts of money laundering. BRENIZER, who was taken into custody earlier today, made his initial appearance before Magistrate Judge Becky R. Thorson in U.S. District Court in St. Paul, Minnesota. BRENIZER was ordered to remain in custody pending a formal detention and arraignment hearing, which is scheduled for Wednesday, August 26.
According to the allegations in the indictment, BRENIZER was the owner and manager of True-Cut Construction LLC (“True-Cut”), a contracting and construction company located in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota. In August 2018, True-Cut and BRENIZER were ordered by the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry to cease and desist from doing business and in December 2019, True-Cut’s contractor license expired and was never renewed.