A Raceland, Louisiana woman has been indicted for her alleged involvement in a $1.5 million fraud scheme targeting federal pandemic relief programs. Cherikah Roberson, 40, was charged on August 14, 2025, with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, making false statements, multiple counts of wire fraud, and theft of government funds.
The indictment follows an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General and the Department of Veteran Affairs Office of Inspector General. Authorities allege that Roberson began her scheme in February 2021 by submitting about 60 fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan applications to the Small Business Administration (SBA), resulting in approximately $1,446,593 in attempted losses.
According to investigators, Roberson recruited associates through Facebook to prepare and file fraudulent PPP applications. She is accused of using online portals such as Blueacorn and Liberty SBF to submit false documents—including invoices, bank statements, and federal tax forms—to support these applications. The indictment states that Roberson certified the accuracy of these documents when submitting them electronically.
Roberson is also charged with filing a fraudulent PPP application for herself. On April 19, 2021, she allegedly submitted a fictitious bank statement from South Louisiana Bank and claimed income of $247,546 for 2019 using a fraudulent Schedule C form. Authorities say these misrepresentations led to her receiving an SBA-backed PPP loan worth about $20,833.
In addition to the PPP scheme, Roberson faces charges related to unemployment insurance (UI) fraud in several states including Kentucky and Louisiana. The indictment alleges she used Facebook under the name “Rikah Marie” to recruit others for filing fraudulent UI claims and charged them between $1,200 and $1,500 per claim. One example cited is defrauding Kentucky’s Office of Unemployment Insurance out of roughly $5,888 starting in July 2020.
Roberson is further accused of submitting a fraudulent Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) disaster assistance application following Hurricane Ida in September 2021. Investigators found that she claimed damages for a mobile home already demolished months earlier; FEMA subsequently deposited nearly $47,493 into her account based on this claim.
Altogether, authorities allege Roberson sought over $1.4 million through fraudulent PPP applications and loans as well as additional funds from UI benefits and FEMA disaster assistance.
Acting U.S. Attorney Michael M. Simpson stated: “The indictment is merely a charge and that the guilt of the defendant must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.”
The COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force was established by the Attorney General on May 17, 2021 to coordinate efforts across agencies in combating pandemic-related fraud (https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus). The task force works with other government entities to investigate major criminal actors involved in relief program fraud.
According to officials: “The PRAC was established to promote transparency and facilitate coordinated oversight of the federal government’s COVID-19 pandemic response. The PRAC’s 20 member Inspectors General identify major risks that cross program and agency boundaries to detect fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement in the more than $5 trillion in COVID-19 spending, including spending via the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), and Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program. This case was also supported by the PRAC’s Pandemic Analytics Center of Excellence, which applies the latest advances in analytic and forensic technologies to help OIGs and law enforcement pursue data-driven pandemic relief fraud investigations.”
Anyone with information regarding attempted COVID-19 relief fraud can report it through the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud hotline at 866-720-5721 or via its online complaint form at https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Brian M. Klebba.
