Press Release — Charleston Woman Pleads Guilty to Role in COVID-19 Relief Fraud Scheme

Summary

A press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of West Virginia, dated February 26, 2025, announced by Acting United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston. It states that Wendy Ann Thomas of Charleston pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting money laundering, and that Thomas admitted $20,833 in proceeds from a criminally derived Paycheck Protection Plan (PPP) loan was deposited into a personal checking account on June 22, 2021, and that $17,000 was withdrawn on June 23, 2021. Sentencing is scheduled for June 12, 2025, with a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine, and Thomas owes $20,833 in restitution. The release cites Case No. 2:24-cr-172 and names Judge Thomas E. Johnston as presiding.

Summary drafted by a model from the document's text below and checked by script against that text before publication. It is a navigation aid, not a reading of what the document proves. Where AI is used

Cite this document

“Press Release — Charleston Woman Pleads Guilty to Role in COVID-19 Relief Fraud Scheme.” Original at www.justice.gov. Archived at Pandemic Darlings, https://pandemicdarlings.com/source-documents/2025-02-26-charleston-woman-pleads-guilty-to-role-in-covid-19-relief-f-c66a987d93/, SHA-256 e4a19792a0c6e87336932627f976f440321523f28aeef4cc123988e7f765d06d.

Full text

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Wendy Ann Thomas, 47, of Charleston, pleaded guilty today to aiding and abetting money laundering. Thomas admitted that $20,833 in proceeds from a criminally derived Paycheck Protection Plan (PPP) loan, guaranteed by the Small Business Administration (SBA) under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act), was deposited into her personal checking account.
According to court documents and statements made in court, the $20,833 was deposited into Thomas’ personal checking account on June 22, 2021. Thomas admitted that she allowed another individual to direct the PPP loan proceeds to her account, that she knew the deposited PPP loan proceeds were criminally derived, and that the PPP loan was issued in the name of an individual Thomas does not know. Thomas further admitted that she withdrew $17,000 from her personal checking account on June 23, 2021, and knew the cash withdrawal represented most of the criminally derived PPP loan proceeds.
Thomas is scheduled to be sentenced on June 12, 2025, and faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine. Thomas also owes $20,833 in restitution.
Acting United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security-Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office.
United States District Judge Thomas E. Johnston presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Jonathan T. Storage is prosecuting the case.
Individuals with information about allegations of fraud involving COVID-19 are encouraged to report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline at 866-720-5721, or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at:
https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form
.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the
U.S. Attorney’s Office
for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on
PACER
by searching for Case No. 2:24-cr-172.
###

File and source

File: 2025-02-26_charleston-woman-pleads-guilty-to-role-in-covid-19-relief-fraud-scheme_20a41fac.md.txt
Size: 2,140 bytes
SHA-256: e4a19792a0c6e87336932627f976f440321523f28aeef4cc123988e7f765d06d
Our copy: 2025-02-26_charleston-woman-pleads-guilty-to-role-in-covid-19-relief-fraud-scheme_20a41fac.md.txt
Original: www.justice.gov