Ambler restaurant owner admits to bilking COVID bailout programs out of nearly $1 million after her business closed
“Is everything you’ve said today the truth?” U.S. District Judge Gerald A. McHugh asked Leone during a hearing Thursday in federal court in Philadelphia. Leone, seated quietly next to her lawyer, responded with a simple “yes.” Leon’s attorney, Michael J. Engle, said in court that his client did not strike a plea deal with prosecutors but wanted to admit her guilt and face the consequences as quickly as possible anyway.
Though that sale wasn’t finalized until more than a year later, the restaurant announced in March 2020 that the pandemic would force its temporary closure and the suspension of takeout service.