Jaquari Davonte Woodward, 24, of North Las Vegas, isn’t making music; he’s facing decades in federal prison. The con man pleaded guilty to wire fraud after fleecing the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) out of over $1.1 million. Woodward didn’t just help himself – he built a scheme to exploit COVID-19 relief funds and actively recruited others, all while bragging about it online.
The PPP was meant to be a lifeline for struggling small businesses during the pandemic. Woodward saw it as an opportunity. Starting in March 2021, he fabricated income details for a sham music business, submitting bogus loan applications. He wasn’t subtle. The feds say Woodward intentionally provided falsified IRS tax forms, hoping to deceive lenders and the Small Business Administration.
But Woodward didn’t stop at his own fraudulent application. He took to social media, openly advertising his services. For a $10,000 fee per approved loan, he promised to navigate the application process for others, essentially selling access to stolen federal funds. This wasn’t a quiet hustle; it was a brazen, public solicitation of criminal activity.
The scope of the scam is staggering. Federal investigators have traced at least 56 fraudulent applications connected to Woodward. The total fraudulent proceeds topped $1.166 million, deposited into accounts controlled by Woodward and his co-conspirators. Woodward personally pocketed around $41,166 from his own fraudulent loans, plus at least another $100,000 from the fees he collected.
Woodward appeared before U.S. District Judge Gloria M. Navarro and admitted his guilt. He’s scheduled to be sentenced on August 15, 2023, and faces a potential 30-year prison sentence, supervised release, hefty fines, and a requirement to repay every stolen penny. This case was a joint effort by the Small Business Administration’s Office of Inspector General and the FBI, highlighting the ongoing work of the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force.
This isn’t just about a single man’s greed. It’s about the deliberate theft of resources intended to help legitimate businesses survive a crisis. Federal prosecutors are sending a clear message: exploiting a pandemic for personal gain will be met with serious consequences. Woodward’s actions represent a betrayal of public trust and a calculated attempt to profit from hardship.
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