Tanika Echols, et al, CARES Act Relief Fraud, Illinois 2025

A federal grand jury in Chicago has indicted three individuals for allegedly fraudulently obtaining more than $2 million in small business loans under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (“CARES”) Act.

Tanika Echols, Antonio Echols, and Tamia Thompson Davis engaged in fraud related to the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and the Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program (EIDL)–two sources of relief under the CARES Act, according to an indictment returned in the Northern District of Illinois.

The indictment charges Tanika Echols, 45, of Austin, Texas, and formerly of South Holland, Ill., with 13 counts of wire fraud and seven counts of money laundering. Antonio Echols, 50, of Austin, Texas, and formerly of South Holland, Ill., who is Tanika Echols’s husband, is charged with three counts of wire fraud, while Davis, 27, of Austin, Texas, who is Tanika Echols’s daughter, is charged with four counts of wire fraud.

The indictment alleges that the defendants defrauded lenders of approximately $1.7 million in PPP loans and defrauded the SBA of approximately $307,000 in EIDL funds. Much of the money was used for the defendants’ personal benefit, including the purchase of mink coats from Andriana Furs in Chicago, the indictment states.

The defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges during their arraignments last week before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeffrey T. Gilbert. A status hearing was scheduled for Aug. 13, 2025, at 9:00 a.m., before U.S. District Judge Thomas M. Durkin.

Tanika Echols, Antonio Echols, and Tamia Thompson Davis are accused of engaging in a massive scheme to defraud the government and private lenders out of millions of dollars in COVID-19 relief funds.

A status hearing has been scheduled for Aug. 13, 2025, before U.S. District Judge Thomas M. Durkin. If convicted, the defendants face up to 20 years in federal prison for each count of wire fraud, and up to 10 years for each count of money laundering.

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