Free Republic

OceanGate Expeditions, the company behind the Titan submersible disaster, was forgiven of its $450,000 Paycheck Protection Program loan, according to the ProPublica PPP Loan Database. OceanGate builds submersibles for tourism and research, but its inherently risky business model raises questions, and led to the tragic deaths of five people in the ocean in June. Its liability waiver for sub tourism mentioned the possibility of death three times on the first page alone. Now, some are accusing the company of cutting corners. James Cameron, the renowned Titanic explorer and director of the 1997 movie, said, "I was very suspect of the...

A Florida woman has been arrested for allegedly using a $15,000 PPP loan to hire a hitman to murder the 24-year-old woman she claimed stole her boyfriend. Le'Shonte Jones, a TSA agent at Miami International Airport, was fatally gunned down in front of her daughter, 3, outside their home at Coral Bay Cove Apartments in the Miami suburb of Homestead, on May 3, 2021. Her toddler was also injured. Jasmine Martinez, 33, is charged with first degree murder for masterminding the plot. Police say Martinez took out a $15,000 pandemic relief loan, which she claimed was for her one-woman beauty...