Baltimore Woman Facing Federal Indictment for Allegedly Obtaining More Than $1.6 Million in Federal Funds Intended to Relieve Financial Distress Caused by the Covid-19 Pandemic
Nichelle Henson, 35, of Baltimore, Maryland, has been charged with false statements and bank fraud in connection with fraudulent applications she allegedly filed to obtain Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) and Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans in the names of multiple businesses.
The indictment alleges that Henson filed fraudulent applications on behalf of her businesses through the EIDL and PPP programs, which were intended to provide emergency financial assistance to Americans suffering from the economic effects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to the indictment, Henson made false statements on six fraudulent applications filed on the Small Business Administration’s website to obtain EIDL grants, alleging that her businesses had between five and fourteen employees, had gross revenue of at least $36,000 and up to more than $1.3 million, and that the cost of goods sold was between $13,000 and $700,000 for the various businesses.
The indictment also alleges that Henson submitted six fraudulent applications to obtain a total of $998,590 in loans under the PPP program, containing false statements, misrepresentations, and omissions related to her purported businesses, including their existence, address, payroll expense, and number of employees.
Henson allegedly obtained more than $1.6 million in federal funds at the expense of honest business owners who were actually experiencing financial distress as a result of COVID-19.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office and our law enforcement partners are committed to investigating, stopping, and prosecuting these crimes.
Nichelle Henson, age 35, of Baltimore, Maryland, is scheduled to have her initial appearance virtually on Thursday, December 16, 2021, at 2:15 p.m., before U.S. Magistrate Judge A. David Copperthite.
Key Facts
- State: Maryland
- Category: White Collar Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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