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FIRST ON FOX: The illegal immigrant in Indiana who was arrested after allegedly causing a fatal semi-truck crash owned a company that took out over $35,000 in Paycheck Protection Program loans, records show.
Borko Stankovic was driving on U.S. Highway 20 in Indiana on Wednesday, Oct. 15, when traffic came to a stop due to a Ram Sprinter turning near Douglas Drive, but the suspect didn’t appear to slow down in his semi-truck, the Portage Police Department told FOX 32.
Stankovic attempted to make a hard evasive left turn and entered opposite traffic, hitting a Subaru Crosstrek, officials said.
The semi-truck jackknifed as a result and hit the Ram Sprinter, which was pushed into a road sign. Jeffrey Eberly, 54, who was driving the Subaru, died at the scene, officials said.
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Police said Borko Stankovic caused the crash. (Portage County Sheriff’s Office)
Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told Fox News Digital that Stankovic had been in the U.S. illegally since February 2011 when his nonimmigrant visa status expired.
Officials said Stankovic possessed a suspended Illinois CDL, which was a family member’s, but didn’t have a valid CDL himself.
PPP records cataloged by ProPublica show that two of Stankovic’s companies, Eclipse Trucking Inc. and ESD Team Inc., received a combined $36,082 in loans from the COVID-19 era funding program. Business registration records from both Illinois and Indiana show Stankovic owned both companies.
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Location in Porter County, Indiana, where authorities allege Borko Stankovic caused a fatal semi-truck crash. (Google Maps)
The PPP loans were forgiven, according to the data. Records show that both companies listed having one employee.
In November 2018, Stankovic was arrested in Long Island, New York, for resisting arrest and obstructing governmental administration, McLaughlin said.
“U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Chicago lodged an immigration detainer with the Porter County Jail against criminal illegal alien Borko Stankovic following his arrest on Oct. 15 for reckless homicide and criminal recklessness. Stankovic, a 41-year-old illegal alien from Serbia and Montenegro, was driving a semi-truck and caused a multi-vehicle accident in Portage, Indiana, that tragically claimed the life of Jeffrey Eberly. This criminal illegal alien didn’t even have a valid commercial drivers’ license (CDL). DHS is working with our state and local partners to get illegal alien truck drivers who often don’t know basic traffic laws off our highways,” McLaughlin said.
Rosemary Jenks, policy director for the Immigration Accountability Project, told Fox News Digital Americans should be concerned that illegal immigrants were able to access the PPP loans.
“Americans should be concerned that any illegal alien is able to access any government benefits,” Jenks said. “We all kind of know that under the Biden administration during COVID, there were no checks on who was getting money, who was taking out loans. But the fact is that illegal aliens should never be able to access our taxpayer dollars. That’s just a fact. Those dollars should be reserved for Americans.”
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The Portage Police Department said Borko Stankovic caused a fatal crash on Oct. 15. (Portage Police Department)
Stankovic’s immigration status caused ICE to put a detainer on him as he was being taken to the Porter County Jail.
He was charged with felony reckless homicide and felony criminal recklessness resulting in death.
Stankovic’s attorney declined to comment when reached by Fox News Digital.
Fox News Digital reached out to DHS and the Small Business Administration for comment.