Tracie L. Mixon, a 43-year-old resident of Hammond, Louisiana, has been sentenced to two years in prison for making false statements related to the CARES Act. The sentence was handed down by U.S. District Judge Susie Morgan on May 27, 2025. Mixon had previously pleaded guilty to the charges.
The CARES Act, enacted on March 27, 2020, introduced several temporary programs and expanded others to mitigate the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Among these was the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), which provided forgivable loans backed by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) to help small businesses maintain payroll and cover certain expenses.
Court documents revealed that Mixon submitted false information on an SBA form to secure a PPP loan fraudulently on or about February 23, 2021. She falsely claimed she had no prior convictions for federal program financial assistance fraud. In reality, she had pleaded guilty in the Eastern District of Virginia to conspiracy to commit federal student loan fraud and mail fraud using stolen identities.
In addition to her prison sentence, Mixon has been ordered to pay $31,000 in restitution to both the lending institution and the SBA. She will also serve three years of supervised release and must pay a $100 mandatory special assessment fee.
Acting U.S. Attorney Michael M. Simpson commended the United States Secret Service for their investigation into this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Edward J. Rivera from the Financial Crimes Unit led the prosecution.
For further details on the Department of Justice’s response to pandemic-related issues or if you have information regarding attempted COVID-19 fraud, visit their website or contact their National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline.
