Case docket
Dara Buck, a.k.a. Dara Butler — U.S. District Court, S.D. Ga.
United States v. Dara Buck, a.k.a. Dara Butler — 7 court filings in the archive, filed between May 13, 2022 and July 26, 2024. Among them: 2 orders, 1 information and 1 plea agreement.
See also: USA v. Buck — the same docket under another case page, 69 public filings; 7 of the documents appear on both pages.
This listing is consolidated at USA v. Buck — the full docket page for this case, with all 69 filings in the archive.
Case facts
| Caption | United States v. Dara Buck, a.k.a. Dara Butler |
|---|---|
| Docket numbers | 4:22-cr-00065, 4:22-cr-00065-1 |
| Filings | 7 public filings |
| Filed | 2022-05-13 – 2024-07-26 |
| Document types | orders (2), information (1), plea agreement (1), judgment (1), motion (1) |
| Original PDFs | 7 of 7 |
Case summary
Dara Buck, also known as Dara Butler, was prosecuted in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Georgia, Savannah Division, No. 4:22CR00065-1. A criminal information filed May 13, 2022 charged conspiracy to commit an offense against the United States under 18 U.S.C. § 371, and alleges that Buck, then an active duty Army chief warrant officer stationed at Fort Stewart, and her co-conspirators submitted more than 150 fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program loan applications and more than a dozen fraudulent student loan discharge applications to the Department of Education. She pleaded guilty to count one. On January 10, 2023 the court sentenced her to 42 months' imprisonment, three years of supervised release, a $100 assessment and restitution of $3,680,247.00.
Case at a glance
| Defendant(s) | Dara Buck, a.k.a. Dara Butler |
|---|---|
| Court and docket | U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Georgia, Savannah, No. 4:22-cr-00065-RSB-CLR |
| Program | Paycheck Protection Program (PPP); also Department of Education student loan discharge |
| Charges | Conspiracy (18 U.S.C. § 371, with 18 U.S.C. § 1343 and 20 U.S.C. § 1097(a)), count one, offense ended May 31, 2021 |
| Outcome and sentence | Pleaded guilty to count one; sentenced January 10, 2023 to 42 months' imprisonment, three years of supervised release, a $100 assessment and restitution of $3,680,247.00, no fine |
Who receives the restitution?
The U.S. Small Business Administration, $3,309,539.00, and the U.S. Department of Education, $370,708.00, a total of $3,680,247.00, with interest payable unless paid in full within fifteen days of judgment.
What does the information allege?
That from no later than August 2017 through at least May 2021 Buck conspired in multiple schemes to defraud the United States, that she and her co-conspirators submitted more than 150 fraudulent PPP loan applications for COVID-19 relief funds, and that they submitted more than a dozen fraudulent student loan discharge applications to the Department of Education.
What has happened since sentencing?
The court denied her second and third motions for compassionate release on October 25, 2023 and a fourth on July 26, 2024, finding she had not shown an extraordinary and compelling reason and that the § 3553(a) factors weighed against release. She filed a pro se motion under 28 U.S.C. § 2255 on March 6, 2024, which the government moved to dismiss on June 5, 2024.
Summary written from the documents on this page; every sentence is sourced.
Filings
7 public filings from this case, in filing-date order.
- Criminal Information — United States v. Dara Buck, a.k.a. Dara ButlerInformation · PDF
- Plea Agreement — United States v. Dara Buck, a.k.a. Dara ButlerPlea agreement · PDF
- Judgment — United States v. Dara Buck, a.k.a. Dara ButlerJudgment · PDF
- Order Denying Second and Third Motions for Compassionate Release — United States v. Dara BuckOrder · PDF
- Pro Se Motion Under 28 U.S.C. § 2255 to Vacate, Set Aside, or Correct Sentence — United States v. Dara BuckPDF
- Government's Motion to Dismiss Buck's 28 U.S.C. § 2255 Motion — United States v. Dara BuckMotion · PDF
- Order Denying Fourth Motion for Compassionate Release — United States v. Dara BuckOrder · PDF
Court, dates and docket numbers are as recorded on the filings.