Hawkins Hit with 3+ Year Sentence for PPP Fraud

DESOTO, TX – Shantelle Hawkins, 43, of DeSoto, Texas, is trading her Maserati Ghibli for a federal prison cell. Hawkins was sentenced today to three years and five months in prison for her brazen scheme to siphon over $1.8 million in fraudulent loans from the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP).

The Department of Justice announced that Hawkins conspired between May 2020 and March 2021 to submit a staggering 17 bogus PPP loan applications. These weren’t applications for struggling businesses genuinely needing a lifeline; they were built on a foundation of lies, submitted on behalf of companies owned or controlled by Hawkins and her family. Court documents reveal she falsified payroll and tax information, manipulating the system to maximize the payout for her fraudulent ventures.

The feds weren’t fooled. The Small Business Administration (SBA), the guarantor of these PPP loans under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, ultimately caught on. But not before Hawkins had her hands on the cash. And what did she do with it? Instead of supporting legitimate business needs, she indulged in personal luxuries, paying off her 2015 Maserati and scooping up property in the Dallas area.

Hawkins pleaded guilty on October 8, 2024, to conspiracy to commit wire fraud. The sentence handed down today isn’t just about jail time; the court also ordered Hawkins to pay back the full $1.8 million in restitution. Furthermore, the residence purchased with the ill-gotten gains is now subject to forfeiture, meaning the government will seize it.

“This sentencing sends a clear message: those who exploit programs designed to help struggling businesses and families during a national crisis will be held accountable,” stated Matthew R. Galeotti, Head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. Acting U.S. Attorney Nancy E. Larson for the Northern District of Texas and Special Agent in Charge R. Joseph Rothrock of the FBI’s Dallas Field Office joined in the announcement, emphasizing the collaborative effort to bring Hawkins to justice.

The investigation was led by the FBI, with the prosecution handled by Trial Attorneys Dermot Lynch and Kashan Pathan of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Elyse Lyons for the Northern District of Texas handling the asset forfeiture. Anyone suspecting COVID-19 related fraud is urged to report it to the Justice Department’s National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline at 866-720-5721 or through the online complaint form at www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.