Ex-Thibodaux resident accused of filing fake papers seeking over $1 million in PPP loans
A former Thibodaux resident has been indicted by a federal grand jury after prosecutors say she filed false applications seeking about $1.1 million in federal loans designed to help businesses weather the COVID-19 pandemic.
Sharnae Every, 27, who now lives in Houston, is charged with two counts of mail fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office in New Orleans.
An indictment does not presume guilt or innocence but indicates the grand jury found prosecutors presented enough evidence to warrant a trial on the charge.
Every is accused of using various aliases on Facebook to recruit people to obtain loans through the Paycheck Protection Program, the office said in a news release Friday.
Congress approved more than $650 billion in forgiveable PPP loans in March and April 2020 to help businesses amid state imposed closings and an economic downturn that resulted after COVID pandemic hit.
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Every charged recruits $45 to $120 to prepare and submit fraudulent PPP applications, federal authorities allege. She then charged them about $3,500 once the loans were funded. Those payments were sent to accounts held by her and her boyfriend.
The agency said the case began after a referral from the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee, which Congress created to investigate fraud and mismanagement and of pandemic-related spending, including the PPP program.
Investigators determined there were at least 110 PPP sole-proprietor loan applications in and around the Thibodaux area and all had the same invoices and federal tax forms with the same business name and amounts, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Every created a fictitious business called “Natural Hair Afro, LLC, Houma, LA 70360” and used it on nearly all of the fraudulent PPP loan applications, according Friday's indictment. She also created all of the fraudulent invoices, bank statements and tax forms and falsely certified the PPP loan applications and supporting documents were correct when she submitted them electronically.
If convicted, Every faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, followed by supervised release for up to three years, along with fines of up to $250,000.
This article originally appeared on Daily Comet: Woman accused of filing fake papers for $1.1M in federal PPP loans
