Armstrong, Iowa — An Emmet County man who got federal pandemic relief through banks in Iowa and Minnesota for a non-existent business has been sentenced to more than three years in federal prison.
57-year-old Donald Franklin Trosin, of Armstrong, used to live in Champlin, Minnesota. He admitted to submitting more than 20 applications for Paycheck Protection Program and Economic Injury Disaster Loans for a business he claimed had 120 employees and a $5 million payroll. The problem is Trosin didn’t operate a business.
He pleaded guilty this spring to major fraud and money laundering. Prosecutors say he tried to transfer the pandemic relief he got to people in other states and countries, including China. In addition to the prison sentence, he’s been ordered to pay $1.3 million in restitution.
There is no parole in the federal system.
