Former Kan. representative accused of COVID relief fraud pleads ‘not guilty’

WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) - Weeks after a federal grand jury in Wichita indicted him on charges of defrauding federal, state and local agencies of more than $450,000 in COVID-19 business recovery funds, a former Kansas representative pleaded “not guilty” to the charges against him.

On Thursday, Sept. 23, Michael Capps pleaded “not guilty” to the charges connected with federal COViD-19 relief. In all, Capps, 43, faces 19 counts. The indictment filed against Capps charges him with:

one count of making false statement to a bank for a PPP loan, • one count of bank fraud in connection with a PPP loan
three counts of false statement to the SBA for EIDL loans
three counts of wire fraud in connection with EIDL loans from the SBA
two counts of wire fraud in connection with grants from the Kansas Department of Commerce
one count of wire fraud in connection with a grant from Sedgwick County
eight counts of money laundering.

The indictment accuses Capps of submitting false and fraudulent documents on behalf of two companies of which, court documents say, his is the owner and/majority owner and a foundation of which he is a member. Capps is also accused of ending false and fraudulent documents to Emprise Bank to receive a Payroll Protection Program (PPP) loan.