Columbus, Ohio – In a brazen scheme to exploit the COVID-19 pandemic, Janet Jenison, 38, owner of Janet Minton Marketing, LLC, pleaded guilty in federal court to three counts of wire fraud and one count of making a false statement on a Paycheck Protection Program loan application.
Jenison was charged by bill of information on May 20, 2021, and her plea was announced by Vipal J. Patel, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, and officials with the U.S. Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration and the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation.
According to court documents, Jenison submitted three fraudulent applications to obtain Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans, created by the CARES Act, for her marketing business. The applications collectively sought $298,719.67 in fraudulent loans, which was approved and a financial institution disbursed $160,247.
Jenison received $98,120 in June 2020 and filed the second successful application on Feb. 18, 2021, and received $62,127. To date, the United States has seized and recovered $58,276.56 of the fraudulent proceeds.
As part of the scheme, Jenison created false Fifth Third Bank account statements for her business for the period Feb. 8, 2020 to March 6, 2020, and submitted false tax documents, including a fabricated tax document claiming she elected for her marketing business to be classified as a corporation and made federal employment tax deposits on behalf of employees, when in fact she had not done so.
Jenison was interviewed by law enforcement in March 2021 and admitted to creating the false documents submitted in support of the applications. Wire fraud carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, while making a false statement is punishable by up to five years in prison. Each crime carries a potential fine not to exceed $250,000.
The sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the Court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. Assistant United States Attorney Peter K. Glenn-Applegate is representing the United States in this case.
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Key Facts
- State: Ohio
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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