Sicilia Mia owner sentenced to prison for COVID fraud, federal authorities say

The owner of several Italian restaurants in Utah has been sentenced to prison after defrauding the government of more than $1.88 million in COVID relief loans, according to a press release from the U.S. Department of Justice.

Giuseppe Mirenda, 29, of Salt Lake City, was sentenced Thursday to 12 months and one day in prison after pleading guilty in February to two counts of embezzlement of government property, the news release said. Mirenda was also sentenced to three years' probation and must pay a $250,000 fine.

Between March and June 2020, Mirenda fraudulently applied for and signed contracts for six Economic Injury Disaster Loans under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act), the press release said. In 2021, he applied for $520,000 in additional COVID relief loans, but those loans were denied.

According to court documents, Mirenda signed a loan approval and agreement that stated the proceeds of the loan would be used “solely as working capital to alleviate the economic damage caused by the pandemic.” But within a year of receiving a total of $1,889,400 in relief funds, he used over $1.1 million of the funds to purchase homes in West Jordan and Las Vegas, at least another $81,781 to purchase luxury cars, and purchased $39,000 worth of cryptocurrency, the press release said.

According to court documents, Mirenda was born in Italy and came to the United States in 2012 at age 17. He eventually opened five Italian restaurants with two relatives, including three Sicilia Mia restaurants in Farmington, Cottonwood Heights and Holladay, as well as Antica Sicilia in Millcreek and Bella Sicilia in Salt Lake City, with two relatives, the documents show. He also started a restaurant management company called Sicilia Restaurant Management, which was based in the basement of Antica Sicilia and sold food to the restaurants.

When Mirenda applied for the loans, he claimed he was the sole owner of the applicant companies, but he failed to disclose that the relatives he was working with were facing immigration issues and therefore were ineligible for aid funds, the documents say.

After the U.S. Attorney's Office opened a grand jury investigation into Mirenda in 2021, he hired an attorney and repaid about $680,000 of the relief loans and did not oppose the sale of his two homes to repay the rest of the money, court documents say. The United States seized $1,251,469.29 from the sale of the homes, and Mirenda gave up those proceeds as part of a settlement, the documents say.

Adam Crayk, Mirenda's lawyer, stressed Friday that a total of $2.2 million has been repaid to the government, more than the original loan amount. “In the history of white-collar crime, it is very rare for money to be recovered in this way,” he said.

Crayk also said Mirenda's three current restaurants – Sicilia Mia in Salt Lake City, Antica Sicilia in Millcreek and Basta Pasteria in Murray – would remain open and be run by Mirenda's wife and her staff.

“This is not directed against the restaurants,” said Crayk. “The restaurants are not being blamed for anything here.”