New Orleans Woman Pleads Guilty to COVID-19 Relief Scam, Faces Decades in Prison
A 40-year-old New Orleans woman has pleaded guilty to making false statements related to the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, making false statements to the IRS, and theft of government funds, federal authorities announced.
Tamiya Chappell, 40, of New Orleans, pleaded guilty on May 23, 2024, to three-counts before U.S. District Court Judge Carl J. Barbier. The CARES Act is a federal law enacted on March 29, 2020, to provide emergency financial assistance in connection with the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to court documents, Chappell was charged with making false statements to the Small Business Administration for the purpose of fraudulently obtaining pandemic-related relief loans funded by the federal government, including Paycheck Protection Program funds, which she received in the amount of approximately $105,625.00. She was also charged with stealing at least $1,000.00 from the Social Security Administration by receiving disability benefits to which she was not entitled from 2019 to 2022, and making false statements to the IRS by failing to report the correct amount of taxable income for the year 2020.
Chappell faces up to five years in prison, up to $250,000 in fines, and up to three years of supervised release for the false statements count. For the theft of government funds, she faces up to 10 years imprisonment, up to $250,000 in fines, and up to three years supervised release. For the false statement and theft from the IRS, she faces up to three years in prison, up to $250,000 in fines, and up to three years of supervised release. There is also a $100 mandatory special assessment fee per count.
The case was investigated by an agent assigned to the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee (PRAC) Fraud Task Force. The PRAC was established to serve the American public by promoting transparency and facilitating coordinated oversight of the federal government’s COVID-19 pandemic response. The PRAC’s 21 member Inspectors General identify major risks that cross program and agency boundaries to detect fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement in the more than $5 trillion in COVID-19 spending.
Chappell’s sentencing is scheduled for August 29, 2024. In the meantime, federal authorities are urging anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 to report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
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Key Facts
- State: Louisiana
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: Official Source ↗
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