Tiffany Bowlin, 33, of Charleston, West Virginia, pleaded guilty today to a brazen scam that ripped off the Paycheck Protection Program for $20,833 in federal COVID-19 relief funds. Bowlin admitted to fabricating a fake hair salon operation and falsifying IRS documents to qualify for emergency aid meant for struggling small businesses during the pandemic.
Court records show Bowlin submitted a fraudulent PPP loan application on April 27, 2021, claiming her sole proprietorship ‘Tiffany Bowlin’ had been in business since 2019. In reality, the business was a fiction — it had no real operations and did not exist as a functioning salon before February 15, 2020, a key eligibility deadline under the CARES Act. She also lied about earning $106,600 in gross income in 2020, submitting a forged IRS Form 1040, Schedule C to back the claim.
The Paycheck Protection Program, launched in March 2020, was designed to keep workers on payroll by offering forgivable loans to legitimate small businesses crushed by pandemic shutdowns. Applicants were required to certify active operations by February 15, 2020, and provide verifiable income records. Bowlin ignored the rules, filed electronically from West Virginia, and had her application processed through federal servers in Kansas — where it was approved and $20,833 wired directly into her personal bank account on May 13, 2021.
Bowlin didn’t stop there. She funneled the stolen funds for personal use, admitting she spent the money on herself rather than on authorized business expenses like payroll or rent. On March 2, 2022, she doubled down with a false loan forgiveness request — even though she never used the cash for its intended purpose. The SBA approved the forgiveness on or about March 9, 2022, unknowingly closing the loop on her scheme.
Bowlin now faces the full weight of federal justice. She pleaded guilty to wire fraud and is set for sentencing on May 4, 2023, before Senior U.S. District Judge John T. Copenhaver, Jr. She risks up to 20 years behind bars, three years of supervised release, a $250,000 fine, and full restitution of $20,833. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Blackwell is leading the prosecution.
U.S. Attorney Will Thompson announced the plea and credited the West Virginia State Police-Bureau of Criminal Investigation and financial analysts from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for cracking the case. The DOJ’s nationwide COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force, launched May 17, 2021, continues to hunt down pandemic fraudsters. Tips can be reported via the National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline at 866-720-5721 or online at justice.gov/disaster-fraud.
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Key Facts
- State: West Virginia
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: Official Source ↗
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