Felony Bill of Information — United States v. Tanyaneeka Powell
Summary
A felony bill of information filed September 26, 2025 in United States v. Tanyaneeka Powell, Case 2:25-cr-00243-JCZ-MBN, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana. Count 1 charges a false statement to the Small Business Administration under Title 18, United States Code, Section 1001, alleging that Powell's PPP Borrower Application to Harvest Small Business Finance claimed 2020 gross income of $95,989.00 supported by a false Schedule C, resulting in a loan of approximately $19,997.00. Count 2 charges aiding and abetting a false statement under Sections 1001 and 2, alleging that an application by R.J. claimed income as a "personal chef" on a Schedule C the information states Powell prepared.
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“Felony Bill of Information — United States v. Tanyaneeka Powell.”
Archived at Pandemic Darlings, https://pandemicdarlings.com/source-documents/1-information-felony-as-to-tanyaneeka-powell-1-count-s-1-2-226ae985be/
, SHA-256 6778d37de27f7827e47345dae32cf90e862cf909ada49b8df8e2f0d24f530c99.Full text
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Case 2:25-cr-00243-JCZ-MBN Document 1 Filed 09/26/25 Page 1 of 6
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UNITE,D STATE,S DISTRICT COURT
E,ASTE,RN DISTRICT OF LOUISIANA FELONY
BILL OF INFORMATION FOR FALSE STATEMENT TO THE SMALL BUSINESS
ADMINISTRATION, AND AIDING AND ABETTING IN THE MAKING OF'
FALSE STATEMENTS TO THE SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION
UNITED STATE,S OF AME,RICA * CruMINAL NO. 25-r-00 2 4,3
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v SECTION:
SECT.AfiAG.5
TANYANE,E,KA POWE,LL * VIOLATIONS: 18 U.S.C. S 1001
18 U.S.C. $ 2
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The United States Attorney charges that:
COUNT 1
(False Statements to the Small Business Administration)
A. AT ALL TIMES MATERIAL HEREIN:
1. Defendant, TANYANEEKA POWELL ("POWELL"), resided in the city of
LaPlace, within the Eastern District of Louisiana.
The Small Business Administration
1. The United States Small Business Administration ("SBA") was an executive-branch
agency of the United States govemment that provided support to entrepreneurs and small
businesses. The mission of the SBA was to maintain and strengthen the nation's economy by
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Case 2:25-cr-00243-JCZ-MBN Document 1 Filed 09/26/25 Page 2 of 6
enabling the establishment and viability of small businesses and by assisting in the economic
recovery of communities after disasters.
2. As part of its efforts, the SBA provided business loans through banks, credit unions,
and other lenders. Those loans had government backed guarantees.
The CARES Act and Paycheck Protection Program
3. The Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act ("CARES Act") was a
federal law enacted in or about March 2020. The CARES Act provided emergency financial
assistance to the millions ofAmericans suffering the economic effects ofthe COVID-l9 pandemic.
One source of reliefprovided by the CARES Act was the authorizationof forgivable loans to small
businesses for job retention and certain other expenses, tl-rough a program referred to as the
Paycheck Protection Program ("PPP").
4. The PPP was overseen by the SBA, which had authority over all PPP loans.
Individual PPP loans, however, were issued by approved private lenders, who received and
processed PPP loan applications and supporting documentation and, following SBA approval,
made loans using the lenders' own funds.
5. To obtain a PPP loan, a qualifuing business had to submit a PPP loan application,
catled an SBA From 2483,signed U, * authorized representative of the business. The PPP loan
application required the business to acknowledge the program rules and to make affirmative
certifications to be eligible for the PPP loan. For example, in the PPP loan application the business,
through its authorized representative, had to state its average monthly payroll expenses and number
of employees. In addition, businesses had to provide documentation showing their payroll
expenses, as part of the PPP loan application process. These figures were used to calculate the
amount of money the small business was eligible to receive under the PPP.
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Case 2:25-cr-00243-JCZ-MBN Document 1 Filed 09/26/25 Page 3 of 6
6. Businesses applying for PPP loans were required to provide documentation
showing their payroll expenses and that they were in business as of February 15,2020. Further,
businesses applying for a PPP loan were required to make good faith certifications, including that
economic uncertainties had necessitated their loan requests for continued business operations, and
that they intended to use loan proceeds only for the authorized, and not any duplicative, purposes.
7. By signing PPP loan applications, applicants attested that the information provided
in the application and in all supporting documents and forms was "true and accurate" in all material
respects, and that the applicant understood that knowingly making a false statement to obtain a
PPP loan was a crime.
8. Among the type of businesses eligible for a PPP loan were individuals who operated
under a "sole proprietorship" business structure. In order to be eligible to receive such a PPP loan,
individuals had to report and document their income and expenses from the sole proprietorship, as
typically reported to the Internal Revenue Service ("IRS") on Form 1040, Schedule C, for a given
year, or other similar tax document. The lending institution or loan processor used this information
and documents to calculate the amount of money the individual was entitled to receive under PPP.
9. Once a qualiffing business completed a PPP application, a participating lender
processed the application. If a PPP loan was approved, the participating lender funded the PPP
loan using its own monies, which the SBA guaranteed. In the course of processing the PPP loan,
the lender electronically transmitted data from the loan application to the SBA, including
information about the borrower, the total amount of the loan, and the identified number of
employees.
10. At all times material herein, Harvest Small Business Finance, based in California,
was a participating lender in the PPP.
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Case 2:25-cr-00243-JCZ-MBN Document 1 Filed 09/26/25 Page 4 of 6
1 1. Proceeds from a PPP loan were legally required to be used only for certain
permissible business expenses, including payroll costs, mortgage interest, rent, and utilities under
the applicable PPP rules and guidance. The interest and principal on the PPP loan was eligible for
forgiveness, if the business spent the loan proceeds on permissible items within a designated period
of time and used a certain portion of the loan toward payroll expenses.
B. THE OFFENSE:
On or about April 11,2021, in the Eastem District of Louisiana and elsewhere, defendant,
TANYANEEKA POWELL, did knowingly and willfully make a materially false, fictitious, and
fraudulent statement and representation in a matter within the jurisdiction of the SBA, an agency
within the executive branch of the United States, in that the defendant stated in her SBA Form
2483 PPP Borrower Application to Harvest Small Business Finance that as a sole proprietorship,
the defendant had gross annual income of $95,989.00 in 2020, as supported by a IRS 1040 Form
Schedule C; however in truth and in fact, the defendant, TAI\TYANEEKA POWELL, knew that
she did not have gross annual earnings of $95,989.00 and the IRS Form 1040 Schedule C submitted
in support of the loan application was a false document, resulting in an SBA backed PPP loan in
the amount of approximately $19,997.00, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section
1001.
COT]NT 2
(Aiding and Abetting in False Statements to the Small Business Administration)
A. AT ALL TIMES HE,REIN
The allegations contained in Paragraph A of Count 1 are hereby re-alleged and incorporated
as though fully set forth herein.
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Case 2:25-cr-00243-JCZ-MBN Document 1 Filed 09/26/25 Page 5 of 6 a
B. THE OFFENSE:
On or about May 28,2021, in the Eastern District of Louisiana and elsewhere, defendant,
TANYANEEKA POWELL, did knowingly and willtully aid and abet in the making of a
materially false, fictitious, and fraudulent statement and representation in a matter within the
jurisdiction of the SBA, an agency within the executive branch of the United States, to wit: the
SBA Form 2483 PPP Borrower Application submitted by R.J. to Harvest Small Business Finance
stated that R.J. had gross annual income of $95,998.00 in 2020, as supported by an IRS 1040 Form
Schedule C which stated that R.J. worked as a "personal chef'; however in truth and in fact, the
defendant, TANYANEEKA POWELL, knew that R.J. did not have gross annual earnings of
$95,998.00 and the IRS Form 1040 Schedule C reflecting R.J.'s employment as a "personal chef'
submitted in support of the loan application was a false document prepared by the defendant;
resulting in an SBA backed PPP loan in the amount of approximately 527,999.00, in violation of
Title 18, United States Code, Sections 1001 and 2.
MICHAEL M. SIMPSON
ACTING LINITED STATES ATTORNEY
. RIVERA
Assistant United States Attorney
New Orleans, Louisiana
September 26,2025
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Case 2:25-cr-00243-JCZ-MBN Document 1 Filed 09/26/25 Page 6 of 6
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