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ProfilePerson

Hannibal "Mike" Ware

Oversight and enforcement

PPP · EIDL
Type
Person
Role
Oversight and enforcement
Programs
PPP, EIDL
Updated

The profile

SBA Inspector General, the independent watchdog whose office produced the fraud estimates for PPP and COVID-EIDL, including the finding that SBA disbursed over $200 billion in potentially fraudulent relief funds.

  • Institution · office: SBA · Office of Inspector General (OIG) · Type: career official (Senate-confirmed Inspector General; came up through the federal IG community)
  • Tenure (relief-relevant): Acting Inspector General from January 9, 2017; Senate-confirmed and sworn in as Inspector General May 24, 2018; served until his removal in January 2025.

In the archive

Hannibal "Mike" Ware was SBA's Inspector General for the whole pandemic. His office estimated in June 2023 that SBA had disbursed more than $200 billion in potentially fraudulent COVID-EIDL and PPP money, at least 17 percent of about $1.2 trillion, and that nearly $30 billion had been seized or returned.1 SBA's own count of likely fraud was about $36 billion.2 He was removed in the January 2025 firings of inspectors general and sued.34

The job

An inspector general is appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate. Ware was sworn in May 24, 2018 (congress.gov nomination PN1100) after serving as acting IG from January 2017.56 The office reports to both the SBA Administrator and Congress, and agency management cannot direct its audits or investigations; the statute required 30 days' notice to Congress before a removal.4 IG pay is set by statute; no individual figure is documented. Before the pandemic the office oversaw a portfolio of roughly $100 billion; during it, more than a trillion dollars of lending authority.7

He was a statutory member of the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee, chaired by DOJ Inspector General Michael Horowitz, and chaired its Subcommittee on Audits. PRAC staff were led by Executive Director Robert Westbrooks and Deputy Executive Director Linda Miller. He also chaired the audit committee of the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency.78

Before the pandemic

Ware is a native of the U.S. Virgin Islands. He holds a B.A. in accounting from the University of the Virgin Islands, which gave him an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters in December 2020. He completed the Senior Executive Service Career Development Program, is a Certified Fraud Examiner and has served on the ACFE Board of Regents.78 He began in 1990 as an auditor in the Interior Department OIG's Virgin Islands field office, rose to Eastern Regional Manager and then Deputy Assistant Inspector General for Management. In April 2016 he joined SBA's OIG as Deputy Inspector General.78

What his office found

SBA OIG reported on the relief programs as they ran. Report 22-01 (October 2021) covered emergency EIDL grants to sole proprietors and independent contractors, and Report 22-09 (February 2022) covered SBA's PPP loan-review process.910 Its audits of the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant found that SBA's June 2021 "program refresh" presumed applicants' statements true and questioned 47 sampled awards worth about $22.9 million.11

The June 27, 2023 "Fraud Landscape" report (23-09) is the office's best-known number. It estimated more than $136 billion of potentially fraudulent COVID-EIDL loans and advances, 33 percent of that program, and $64 billion of PPP funds, 8 percent.1(link now dead; copy taken from the Internet Archive, 16 July 2026) 2 SBA's response, printed in the report, said 3 million human-led reviews had narrowed the likely fraudulent body to about $36 billion and predicted the Inspector General would find "the false positive rate is high."2 Ware testified on July 13, 2023 before the House Small Business Committee; Administrator Isabella Casillas Guzman was invited to sit beside him and did not appear.812 The estimates side by side are at pandemic fraud estimates.

Documents written or signed

  • SBA OIG Report 23-09, "COVID-19 Pandemic EIDL and PPP Loan Fraud Landscape," June 27, 2023.2
  • SBA OIG Report 22-01, "SBA's Emergency EIDL Grants to Sole Proprietors and Independent Contractors," October 2021.9
  • SBA OIG Report 22-09, "SBA's Paycheck Protection Program Loan Review Processes," February 2022.10
  • SBA OIG Report 22-05, "Independent Auditors' Report on SBA's FY 2021 Financial Statements" — transmitted under Ware's office; SBA's CFO audit response (by Jason Bossie) is addressed to "Hannibal M. Ware, Inspector General."1314
  • Congressional testimony on pandemic fraud, including the House Small Business Committee hearing of July 13, 2023.8

Removal and lawsuit

In September 2024 he was also designated Acting Inspector General of the Social Security Administration.15 He was removed on or about January 24, 2025; Senate Small Business ranking member Ed Markey's statement the next day said at least 12 inspectors general had been fired, including Ware.3 On February 12, 2025 he, DOL Inspector General Larry Turner and six others sued in Storch v. Hegseth (D.D.C.). Their complaint says he "returned over $30 billion to the Treasury in fraudulent loans and reported on $200 billion in potential fraud," and names Acting SBA Administrator Everett Woodel as the official who cut off his access.4 On September 24, 2025 Judge Ana C. Reyes found that the firings broke the 30-day notice requirement but declined to reinstate the inspectors general, and the case was stayed pending the Supreme Court's decision in Trump v. Slaughter.1617

Since 2025

Sheldon Shoemaker served as acting Inspector General after Ware's removal, and William W. Kirk was sworn in as SBA Inspector General on January 6, 2026.18 Ware's LinkedIn profile, which is self-reported, describes him as a retired Inspector General and says he was elected chair of CIGIE for 2025.19

Documents on this site

Original source documents and archived copies

  • Sheldon Shoemaker — acting SBA Inspector General after Ware was dismissed in late January 2025.
  • Larry D. Turner — DOL Inspector General, co-plaintiff in Storch v. Hegseth.
  • Christi Grimm — HHS Inspector General, co-plaintiff in Storch v. Hegseth.
  • Isabella Casillas Guzman — SBA Administrator whose agency answered the 23-09 estimate with its own $36 billion figure.

Sources (first-party)

  1. SBA OIG Report 23-09 landing page, "COVID-19 Pandemic EIDL and PPP Loan Fraud Landscape," effective June 27, 2023 (states ~$1.2T disbursed; >$200B potentially fraudulent; ≥17%; ~$30B seized/returned). Original: https://www.sba.gov/document/report-23-09-covid-19-pandemic-eidl-ppp-loan-fraud-landscape SBA OIG Report 23-09 landing page, "COVID-19 Pandemic EIDL and PPP Loan Fraud Landscape," effective June 27, 2023 sta... (stored capture) ↩
  2. SBA OIG Report 23-09 (PDF). Original: https://www.sba.gov/sites/default/files/2023-06/SBA%20OIG%20Report%2023-09.pdf COVID-19 Pandemic EIDL and PPP Loan Fraud Landscape — SBA-OIG White Paper, Report 23-09 (2023-06-27) (stored capture) (link now dead; copy taken from the Internet Archive, 16 July 2026) ↩
  3. Senate Small Business Committee, Ranking Member Markey statement on firing of SBA IG Ware, Jan. 25, 2025. Original: https://www.sbc.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/2025/1/ranking-member-markey-blasts-trump-firing-of-at-least-12-inspectors-general-including-sba-inspector-general-ware Senate Small Business Committee, Ranking Member Markey statement on firing of SBA IG Ware, Jan. 25, 2025 (stored capture) ↩
  4. Complaint, Storch v. Hegseth, No. 1:25-cv-00415 (D.D.C.), filed Feb. 12, 2025. Original: https://www.courthousenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/eight-inspectors-general-sue-trump-firings.pdf Inspectors General Complaint — Storch v. Hegseth (D.D.C.) (stored capture) ↩
  5. Congress.gov nomination record PN1100, "Nomination of Hannibal Ware for Small Business Administration," 115th Congress (2017–2018). Original: Congress.gov nomination record PN1100, "Nomination of Hannibal Ware for Small Business Administration," 115th Congres... (original: congress.gov · stored capture) ↩
  6. SBA official person page for Hannibal "Mike" Ware (Wayback snapshot, Jan. 8, 2024); the live URL now redirects to his successor. Original: http://web.archive.org/web/20240108200807/https://www.sba.gov/person/hannibal-mike-ware Hannibal "Mike" Ware, Inspector General — U.S. Small Business Administration (Wayback Machine, January 8, 2024) (stored capture) ↩
  7. SBA OIG biography of Inspector General Hannibal "Mike" Ware — sworn in May 24, 2018 following Senate confirmation; >$100B normal portfolio and >$1 trillion pandemic authority; PRAC Audit Subcommittee chair; DOI OIG career from 1990; UVI B.A. in accounting; SES CDP graduate; honorary doctorate Dec. 2020; ACFE Board of Regents. Original: https://cdn.govexec.com/media/hannibal_%E2%80%9Cmike%E2%80%9D_ware_bio.pdf Hannibal “Mike” Ware, SBA Inspector General (stored capture) ↩
  8. House Small Business Committee, Hannibal Ware witness biography, hearing July 13, 2023. Original: https://www.congress.gov/118/meeting/house/116162/witnesses/HHRG-118-SM00-Bio-WareH-20230713.pdf Hannibal “Mike” Ware, Inspector General, Biography (stored capture) ↩
  9. SBA OIG Report 22-01, "SBA's Emergency EIDL Grants to Sole Proprietors and Independent Contractors". Original: https://www.sba.gov/sites/default/files/2021-10/SBA%20OIG%20Report%2022-01%20.pdf SBA's Emergency EIDL Grants to Sole Proprietors and Independent Contractors (stored capture) (link now dead; copy taken from the Internet Archive, 19 June 2026) ↩
  10. SBA OIG Report 22-09, "SBA's Paycheck Protection Program Loan Review Processes". Original: https://www.sba.gov/sites/default/files/2022-02/SBA%20OIG%20Report%2022-09.pdf SBA’s Paycheck Protection Program Loan Review Processes — SBA-OIG Report 22-09 (stored capture) (link now dead) ↩
  11. SBA OIG Report 24-02, "SBA's Internal Controls to Prevent Shuttered Venue Operators Grants to Ineligible Applicants," Oct. 25, 2023. ↩
  12. House Committee on Small Business, "Committee on Small Business Invites SBA Administrator Guzman to Testify alongside SBA Inspector General Ware," June 29, 2023; letter to Administrator Guzman, July 21, 2023. ↩
  13. SBA OIG Report 22-05, "Independent Auditors' Report on SBA's FY 2021 Financial Statements". Original: https://www.sba.gov/document/report-22-05-independent-auditors-report-sbas-fy-2021-financial-statements SBA OIG, "Independent Auditors' Report on SBA's FY 2021 Financial Statements," Report 22-05 distribution names Jason... (stored capture) ↩
  14. SBA FY2021 Agency Financial Report (CFO audit response addressed to "Hannibal M. Ware, Inspector General"). Original: https://www.sba.gov/sites/sbagov/files/2021-12/SBA_FY2021_AFR-508.pdf Agency Financial Report, Fiscal Year 2021 — U.S. Small Business Administration (stored capture) (link now dead; copy taken from the Internet Archive, 10 April 2023) ↩
  15. SSA OIG news release, "Inspector General Hannibal 'Mike' Ware Designated as Acting Inspector General for Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General," Sept. 30, 2024. Original: https://oig.ssa.gov/news-releases/2024-09-30-inspector-general-hannibal-%E2%80%9Cmike%E2%80%9D-ware-designated-as-acting-inspector-general-for-social-security-administration-office-of-inspector-general/ SSA OIG news release, "Inspector General Hannibal 'Mike' Ware Designated as Acting Inspector General for Social Secur... (stored capture) ↩
  16. The Washington Post, "Federal judge declines to reinstate inspectors general fired by Trump," Sept. 25, 2025. https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/09/25/trump-inspectors-general-fired/ ↩
  17. Storch v. Hegseth, No. 1:25-cv-00415, Memorandum Opinion and Order, Doc. 54 (D.D.C. Sept. 24, 2025). Storch v. Hegseth, D.D.C. 1:25-cv-00415, Doc. 54 opinion (original: law.justia.com) ↩
  18. SBA official person page, William W. Kirk (successor IG, sworn in Jan. 6, 2026), at the former Ware URL. Original: Hannibal "Mike" Ware, Inspector General — U.S. Small Business Administration (Wayback Machine, January 8, 2024) (original: sba.gov) William W. Kirk, Inspector General — U.S. Small Business Administration (stored capture) (link now dead; copy taken from the Internet Archive, 2 February 2025) ↩
  19. Hannibal "Mike" Ware, LinkedIn ("Retired Inspector General"; CIGIE chair). Hannibal "Mike" Ware, LinkedIn "Retired Inspector General"; CIGIE chair (original: linkedin.com) (self-reported profile) ↩
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