A Minnesota businessman was sentenced on Monday to seven years in prison and ordered to pay nearly $3.5 million for his role in defrauding more than $6 million from pandemic relief programs.

In February, Tezzaree El-Amin Champion pleaded guilty to wire fraud, money laundering and illegally possessing a firearm as a felon.

Prosecutors say he used his position as a leader of Futuristic Management LLC, a marketing company, and Encouraging Leaders, a nonprofit, to submit grants.

Court documents say Encouraging Leaders submitted dozens of grants to the U.S. Department of Justice, Hennepin County, the Centers for Disease Control Foundation and the Minnesota State Arts Board, among others. The applications contained false statements, and though the organization was awarded $2.7 million, Ch

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