An Ocala woman faces up to 20 years in prison and more than $20,000 in fines after pleading guilty to one count of wire fraud. According to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Florida, Jackson electronically submitted a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan application to the Small Business Administration for the . Her application included false statements. Jackson also provided a fictitious Internal Revenue Service document in support of her application. Based on the false information she provided, Jackson fraudulently received a PPP loan of $20,132 on April 6, 2021 for funds from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (“CARES”) Act. The loan was electronically wired to her bank account. Within 30 days of receiving the loan, Jackson withdrew the funds in cash.
In May 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force (CFETF) to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The task force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts.
This case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Hannah Nowalk.
Comments / 16