Florida man who ran for mayor pleads guilty to COVID relief fraud

A South Florida man who once ran for mayor has pleaded guilty to wire fraud after fraudulently obtaining more than $120,000 in COVID-19 relief funds through the federal Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), according to federal prosecutors.

According to a statement on Thursday by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida, 41-year-old Rudy Theophin of Miramar submitted a PPP loan application in June 2020 claiming his company, Theophin Consulting LLC, needed financial relief due to the pandemic. Prosecutors say Theophin’s application included false information about the company’s payroll and number of employees.

Once the $123,675 loan was approved, Theophin transferred some of the funds to another individual, moved a portion to his own investment account, and used the remaining money toward the purchase of a condominium, according to court records.

In 2023, Theophin ran for mayor of Miramar, in southern Broward County, against incumbent Wayne Messam, a Democrat, who ultimately won reelection and is now serving his third term.

Theophin is scheduled to be sentenced on July 15 in Fort Lauderdale. He faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison.