PPE Fraud Defendant Regains Seized $1 Million to Hire Lawyer

A defendant facing fraud and money laundering charges is entitled to recoup $1 million which the government seized and wanted forfeited as part of his allegedly illegal activity, a federal court said.

The government didn’t show that the $1 million was tainted, and Brian Sperber needed the money to pay for a lawyer, the opinion by Judge Michael L. Brown of the US District Court for the Northern District of Georgia said May 19.

Sperber and his co-defendant were accused of taking $13 million from customers in exchange for personal protective equipment they didn’t have. Sperber then allegedly used a ...