A logistics and transportation company has agreed to pay millions to settle allegations that it improperly obtained a COVID-19-related business loan from the federal government.
On August 18, 2026, authorities announced that ID Logistics US, Inc. (IDUSA) had agreed to pay $2,362,360 to settle allegations that the company had obtained a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan to which it was not entitled.
PPP loans were provided to small businesses to help them pay payroll and cover other expenses during the period of economic uncertainty caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of Pennsylvania, “IDUSA submitted a PPP loan application in which it certified that, together with its subsidiaries, it had fewer than 500 employees, when, if affiliated entities were counted, it had more than 500 employees and, therefore, it did not qualify to receive the PPP loan.”
IDUSA is a subsidiary of the French company ID Logistics Group SA, which has “in addition to IDUSA, at least fifteen other affiliated companies worldwide.”
“An applicant’s status as a small business was determined, in part, by evaluating the company’s number of employees, including those at domestic and foreign subsidiaries,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office stated.
Authorities state that IDUSA cooperated fully with them during the investigation.
The investigation into the PPP loan was initiated following a lawsuit filed under the “qui tam” provisions of the False Claims Act, which allows a whistleblower to file a lawsuit on behalf of the U.S. government and, subsequently, receive a portion of the settlement amount. In this case, the whistleblower will receive $236,236.
“The SBA is committed to rooting out every last dollar of fraud in the PPP program,” said Wendell Davis, general counsel of the SBA. “Together with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of Pennsylvania, the agency will vigorously pursue violators to hold them accountable and recover pandemic relief funds improperly obtained from the program.”
