A Laplace woman has pleaded guilty to charges related to fraud involving the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act), according to an announcement from U.S. Attorney David I. Courcelle.
Tanyaneeka Powell, 38, entered her plea before United States District Judge Jay C. Zainey. She was charged with two counts: making false statements to the Small Business Administration (SBA) and assisting another person in doing so. The first count alleges that on April 17, 2021, Powell submitted a fraudulent application for a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan totaling $19,997 for herself. The second count states that on June 2, 2022, she helped prepare a false PPP loan application for someone else, resulting in a $19,999 loan.
Sentencing is scheduled for April 28, 2026. Each count carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, up to three years of supervised release, and a mandatory special assessment fee of $100.
U.S. Attorney Courcelle recognized the efforts of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General and the United States Secret Service in investigating the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Edward J. Rivera is handling the prosecution.
For more information about the Department of Justice’s response to pandemic-related fraud cases, resources are available at https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus. Individuals with information about COVID-19 fraud can report it by calling the National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline at 866-720-5721 or submitting a complaint through https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
