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Raleigh Basketball Scout Convicted of COVID-19 Relief Loan Scheme
A Raleigh man and business owner, Earl Lamont Taylor, has been convicted of bank and wire fraud for obtaining nearly $300,000 in fraudulent Paycheck Protection Act (PPP) COVID-19 loans, as part of a multimillion-dollar national scheme.
According to federal prosecutors, Taylor worked with Quentin Jackson and Edward Whitaker to obtain the loans. Jackson pleaded guilty in November 2022, and Whitaker pleaded guilty in January 2023. Taylor applied for and received loans for two businesses, Get Me Recruited, LLC, and Changing the Game Life Coach, with a total of $291,665.50.
Taylor paid Whitaker $72,917.24 for his assistance and also cashed alleged ‘payroll’ checks for Jackson on Jackson’s PPP loans. The trial evidence showed that Get Me Recruited, LLC did have business in 2019 and 2020, but employees listed on the loan application testified that they never made more than $2,000 per year and were not regularly salaried employees.
The loan application submitted by Taylor listed their annual salaries as being between $110,145 and $128,416. In contrast, Changing the Game Life Coach did not appear to have any meaningful business during the relevant period and employees testified that they had never done any work for the company.
Taylor faces up to 30 years in prison when sentenced. More than 30 defendants have pleaded guilty and 26 have been sentenced in the broader ‘Loanstarters’ PPP scheme involving Edward Whitaker.
Other defendants sentenced in the scheme include Albert Eugene Miller, Jr., Jonathan Fleming, Nekita Hooks, Denise Coit Alston, Monica Faye Barnes, Dontrell Barnes, Isaac Lamont Dawson, Irene Edwards, Natosia Jerome Jenkins, Ronald L. Jones, Delvin Dashavone Felder, Shun Lamont Gibbs, Teresa Ann McRae, Dontae Antonio Murphy, Jackson Ndoyo, Terron Cortez Parker, Ayyub Abdur Rasheed, Karim Aziz Razzak, Toni A. Smith, Darian Casteele Tyler, Shakeerah Kaneisha Yvette Vinson, and Anthony S. Whitaker.
The Paycheck Protection Program was meant to aid those affected the most during the pandemic, but Taylor and his associates exploited the system for their personal gain.
Key Facts
- State: North Carolina
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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