Bienville Parish Woman Sentenced to Federal Prison for Defrauding Government of $1.1M in PPP Loans; Greece Business Owner Admits to $1.5M Loan Fraud, and other C-Virus related stories
Bienville Parish woman sentenced to federal prison for defrauding government of $1.1M in PPP loans
A woman from Gibsland will go to federal prison for defrauding the government of money during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Acting U.S. Attorney Alexander Van Hook announced Wednesday, Feb. 12 that Shaquaila Lewis-Chatman, 36, was sentenced on one count of wire fraud. She was sentenced to two years and three months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. Restitution amounts will be determined at a later date.
Officials with the Department of Justice (DOJ) say back in March of 2020, Congress enacted the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, which was meant to provide emergency financial help to millions of people suffering from the economic effect of the COVID-19 pandemic. As part of the act, the Small Business Administration (SBA) provided Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL), which were low-interest loans given to small businesses, renters, and homeowners affected by the pandemic. The CARES Act also provided for the authorization of up to $349 billion in forgivable loans to small businesses for job retention and some other expenses through a program called the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP).
The DOJ says Lewis-Chatman came up with a scheme to defraud the SBA and other financial institutions by falsifying PPP and EIDL loan applications and other documents. In court, it was found Lewis-Chatman was responsible for more than $1.1 million worth of losses as a result of multiple fraudulent loans involving herself and others. —>READ MORE HERE
Greece business owner admits to $1.5M loan fraud:
The owner of a Greece business pleaded guilty after fraudulently applying for loans during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) was a loan program that helped small businesses keep their workers employed throughout the pandemic.
Timothy Taylor, 39, was the owner of Data Brilliance Software LLC. According to prosecutors, between July 2020 and August 2021 Taylor filed fraudulent applications for the PPP loans. He claimed he had 87 employees and a monthly payroll of $607,000.
Investigators learned this wasn’t true — Taylor had only one employee who was paid $10,000 for the entire year. Taylor received $1,500,000 through that false claim and used the money for personal expenses. —>READ MORE HERE
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