Maxine Michelle Burns, Pandemic Loan Fraud, Missouri 2021

A woman who fraudulently applied for $167,997 in pandemic loans for a business she didn't run or own has been sentenced to six months in prison. Maxine Michelle Burns, 44, of Willow Springs, Missouri, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Cape Girardeau to bank fraud and making false statements to a financial institution.

Burns applied for a Paycheck Protection Program loan from the Small Business Administration on January 20, 2021, using the name of the owner of a residential treatment facility in Poplar Bluff without authorization. She also used the owner's signature stamp. After the loan was granted, Burns used the money to buy vehicles for herself and pay for vacations. The loan was forgiven after Burns falsely claimed that she'd used the money for payroll and other permissible purposes.

U.S. District Judge Stephen N. Limbaugh Jr. ordered Burns to repay the money. She will be on supervised release for five years after she gets out of prison.

The case highlights a partnership between the United States Secret Service and the Butler County Sheriff's Department to aggressively target individuals who have taken advantage of federal pandemic programs, said Special Agent in Charge Travis Gibson of the U.S. Secret Service - St. Louis Field Office.

Burns' case was investigated by the U.S. Secret Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy Willis prosecuted the case.

If you have information about pandemic fraud, call the National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline at 866-720-5721 or report via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.

Mandatory Facts: Defendant: Maxine Michelle Burns, Charges: bank fraud and making false statements to a financial institution, City: Cape Girardeau, State: Missouri, Date: Thursday (no specific date provided), Sentence: six months in prison and five years on supervised release, Amount: $167,997.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-edmo/pr/missouri-woman-sentenced-fraudulently-applying-168000-pandemic-loan