A Cuyahoga County grand jury has arrested former Cleveland restaurant owner Marcelo Fadul Neves, 59, on various offenses, including aggravated theft, telecommunications fraud, and record tampering, for allegedly abusing more than $800,000 in federal COVID relief funds.
Neves, the former owner of Crop Bistro in Cleveland, was awarded $846,720 in Restaurant Revitalization Funds in 2021. Prosecutors claim the government COVID relief money, which was supposed to help his business, was spent on personal costs, debt payments, and the purchase of another restaurant, Bistro on the Falls in Olmsted Falls.
According to officials, when he filed for the cash, Crop Bistro had already shuttered and would never reopen.
“We have seen numerous examples of citizens using COVID Relief Funds for improper purposes,” said Prosecutor Michael O’Malley. “This case is one of the most egregious.”
Neves faces the following charges:
- Aggravated theft – 1 count
- Telecommunications fraud – 1 count
- Tampering with records – 1 count
- Grand theft – 2 counts
- Passing bad checks – 6 counts
- Passing bad checks – 4 counts
In addition to the government monies, authorities say Neves signed bogus checks totaling more than $140,000 between 2020 and 2024, including payments to his restaurants’ employees.
The US Secret Service Money Laundering Task Force detained Neves in Westlake on March 11, with the assistance of the Westlake Police Department.
Crop Bistro was located at 2357 Lorain Avenue, in Cleveland’s Ohio City area. Bartelby currently calls the space home.
Neves is due to be arraigned on Thursday, March 13, at 8:30 a.m.
The investigation was led by the United States Secret Service Money Laundering Task Force, which received help from the Olmsted Falls Police Department.
