A man from Laplace, Louisiana, Ernest X. Taylor, Jr., age 41, has been sentenced to 84 months in federal prison for making false statements related to the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act). The sentence was handed down by U.S. District Judge Darrel James Papillion on October 29, 2025. Taylor had previously pleaded guilty to two counts of making false statements.
The CARES Act was enacted on March 27, 2020, to address the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. One key provision was the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), which provided forgivable loans through the U.S. Small Business Administration to help small businesses cover payroll and other expenses.
According to court documents, Taylor submitted a PPP loan application on March 2, 2021. In his application, he falsely stated that he had not been convicted of a felony involving fraud or similar offenses within the last five years. However, records show that Taylor had pleaded guilty in July 2016 in the Eastern District of Virginia to conspiracy to commit federal student loan fraud and mail fraud using stolen identities. Based on these misrepresentations, Taylor received about $18,500 from his first PPP loan application.
Taylor repeated these false statements when applying for a second draw PPP loan on April 21, 2021. He again received approximately $18,500.
In addition to his prison term, Taylor was sentenced to five years of supervised release and must pay a $100 mandatory special assessment fee.
“Acting U.S. Attorney Simpson praised the work of the United States Secret Service in investigating this matter.” Assistant U.S. Attorney Edward J. Rivera led the prosecution.
For more information about how the Department of Justice is responding to pandemic-related crimes or how individuals can report suspected COVID-19 fraud cases, resources are available at https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus and through the National Center for Disaster Fraud hotline or online complaint form at https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
