Sentencing Memorandum as to Harrescia Hopkins filed by USA — USA v. Hopkins (Dkt. 23, N.D. Ga.)

Record facts

U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia · No. 1:22-cr-00284-SEG-CMS · Doc. 23 · 2023-03-15 · Docket on CourtListener

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IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 
FOR THE NORTHERN DISTRICT OF GEORGIA 
ATLANTA DIVISION 
 
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 
v. 
HARRESCIA HOPKINS 
 
Criminal Action No. 
1:22-CR-284-SEG 
 
Sentencing Memorandum 
The United States of America, by Ryan K. Buchanan, United States Attorney, 
and Garrett L. Bradford, Assistant United States Attorney for the Northern 
District of Georgia, files this Sentencing Memorandum. For the reasons stated 
below, the government requests that the Court impose a sentence of six months 
of imprisonment.  
 At the time of the offense, Defendant Harrescia Hopkins was an employee of 
the United States Department of Justice’s Federal Bureau of Prisons. As a 
correctional officer, she was charged with safeguarding our community as well 
as the lives and rehabilitation of the inmates at the United States Penitentiary-
Atlanta. She enjoyed a stable job earning a salary of $61,000 and federal benefits. 
(See Presentence Investigation Report (“PSR”) ¶ 68). Nevertheless, when the 
COVID-19 pandemic hit and Congress authorized emergency programs to 
enable struggling businesses to continue paying employees who would 
otherwise be at risk of losing their jobs, Hopkins sought to exploit that program 
for her own greed. While countless workers were losing their jobs and families 
Case 1:22-cr-00284-SEG-CMS     Document 23     Filed 03/15/23     Page 1 of 5

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were being thrown into dire financial straits, Hopkins decided to make up a 
business that didn’t exist – Hopkins Towing and Storage – in order to claim a 
share of those emergency funds through the Paycheck Protection Program 
(“PPP”).  
To do so, Hopkins fabricated details about the fake business, including 
claiming that it was in operation before the pandemic and needed the money so 
that it could continue paying its workers. She also created and submitted a fake 
tax form that said the business received over $100,000 in revenues in 2019. She 
signed and submitted multiple documents, attesting that the information she was 
providing was true and subject to criminal prosecution for false statements. As a 
result, she expeditiously received $19,100 deposited into her bank account in 
August 2020. Not satisfied with these ill-gotten gains, she used the same 
information on a new set of forms and got a second PPP distribution of $19,100 in 
February 2021.  
Instead of using the PPP money to sustain a business or employ workers who 
badly needed a job, Hopkins spent it on personal expenses including a Caribbean 
cruise and other travel, a down payment and other expenses related to 
purchasing a new Chevrolet Blazer, landscaping for her house, restaurant meals, 
and retail goods. (Doc. 19-1 ¶ 12(d)).  
While Hopkins enjoyed her two PPP distributions for a business that didn’t 
even exist, in May 2021 the PPP program abruptly ended early due to its funding 
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being exhausted.1 Millions of businesses who needed funding were shut out of 
the program.2  
A significant sentence is warranted because Hopkins’ conduct is particularly 
brazen given that she was a Department of Justice employee. Further, instead of 
being an isolated lapse of judgment, after months of time to reflect on her greed 
and second guess her exploitation of the emergency program, Hopkins doubled 
down and committed more fraud before funding ran out. Neither of these 
aggravating factors are accounted for in the calculation of her Guidelines range 
and could justify a sentence at the top of the Guidelines range.3 Nevertheless, the 
government believes that a sentence of six months (a variance of two months 
below the bottom of her Guidelines range) is warranted because Hopkins pled 
guilty expeditiously and has agreed to pay full restitution, saving the 
government and Court significant resources and demonstrating a strong and 
clear acceptance of responsibility that evidences her remorse, rehabilitation,  
 
1 See Stacy Cowley, The Paycheck Protection Program is out of money, N.Y. TIMES, 
May 4, 2021, available at 
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/04/business/paycheck-protection-
program-closes.html (last visited March 14, 2023).  
2 See Stacy Cowley, As Paycheck Protection Program Runs Dry, Desperation 
Grows, N.Y. TIMES, May 20, 2021, available at  
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/20/business/paycheck-protection-
program.html (last visited March 14, 2023).  
3 It is also concerning that Hopkins violated additional laws and the terms of 
her pretrial release by consuming marijuana while on bond in this case. (PSR 
¶ 65).   
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600 U.S. Courthouse, 75 Ted Turner Drive S.W., Atlanta, GA 30303 
(404) 581-6000   fax (404) 581-6181 
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effort to make amends for her crimes, and decreased chance of recidivism. This 
recommendation also takes into consideration mitigating circumstances from 
Hopkins’ history. (See PSR ¶¶ 57, 61). 
Conclusion 
For the reasons stated above, the government recommends that the Court 
sentence Hopkins to a term of imprisonment of six months. 
 
 
Respectfully submitted, 
 
RYAN K. BUCHANAN 
United States Attorney 
/s/GARRETT L. BRADFORD 
Assistant United States Attorney 
Georgia Bar No. 074374 
Garrett.Bradford@usdoj.gov 
 
 
Case 1:22-cr-00284-SEG-CMS     Document 23     Filed 03/15/23     Page 4 of 5

 
Certificate of Service 
The United States Attorney’s Office served this document today by filing it using 
the Court’s CM/ECF system, which automatically notifies the parties and counsel 
of record. 
March 15, 2023 
 
/s/ GARRETT L. BRADFORD 
 
 
GARRETT L. BRADFORD 
 
Assistant United States Attorney 
 
 
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