Eleven Individuals Indicted for Stealing More Than Two Million Dollars in COVID Relief Funds — Sherell Breus, Jessie Perlado and Others, Tampa, Florida

Summary

A press release of USAO - Florida, Middle, published December 12, 2025, in which United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe announces the return of an indictment charging Sherell Breus, Jessie Perlado, Candice Harper, Yashica Carter, Brandon Thomas, Antwaun Jonson, Jessica Sejour, Tameshia Roberson, Vance Houston and Raymound Carvil Sr. with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and nine counts of wire fraud. According to the indictment, between April 2020 and June 2021, the conspirators devised a scheme to defraud the Small Business Administration through false EIDL and PPP applications, and the United States seeks forfeiture of $2,294,734.50. In a separate indictment, Neil Bryant is charged with one count of wire fraud, with forfeiture of $52,400 sought.

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“Eleven Individuals Indicted for Stealing More Than Two Million Dollars in COVID Relief Funds — Sherell Breus, Jessie Perlado and Others, Tampa, Florida.” Original at www.justice.gov. Archived at Pandemic Darlings, https://pandemicdarlings.com/source-documents/2025-12-12-eleven-individuals-indicted-for-stealing-more-than-two-mill-73768db06c/, SHA-256 2b5d68effaab5486d291dab9ae24613fd68810036f507662aaa15c1074f6870b.

Full text

Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe announces the return of an indictment charging Sherell Breus (40, Champions Gate), Jessie Perlado (63, Lakeland), Candice Harper (37, Pooler, GA), Yashica Carter (40, Ft. Lauderdale), Brandon Thomas (39, Champions Gate), Antwaun Jonson (39, Delray Beach), Jessica Sejour (33, Greenacres), Tameshia Roberson (44, Winter Haven), Vance Houston (30, Oakland Park), and Raymound Carvil Sr. (61, Ft. Lauderdale) with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and nine counts of wire fraud. If convicted, each faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison on each count. The indictment also notifies the conspirators that the United States is seeking an order of forfeiture in the amount of $2,294,734.50, which represents the alleged proceeds traceable to the offense.
According to the indictment, between April 2020 and June 2021, the conspirators devised a scheme to defraud the Small Business Administration by submitting multiple false and fraudulent Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) and Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) applications. These programs were two sources of economic relief provided by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act to help small business during the COVID-19 pandemic. The conspirators’ applications all contained fraudulent documentation which at times included Department of Treasury - Internal Revenue Service Tax Forms. After receiving their fraudulently obtained proceeds, the conspirators transferred a portion of their funds to other accounts belonging to co-conspirators.
In a separate indictment, an associate of one the conspirators, Neil Bryant (45, Winter Haven) was charged with one count of wire fraud. According to the indictment, Bryant defrauded the Small Business Administration by submitting a fraudulent EIDL application. If convicted, Bryant faces a maximum of 20 years in federal prison. Bryant was also notified that the United States is seeking an order of forfeiture in the amount of $52,400, which represents the proceeds traceable to his offense.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.
These cases were investigated by the Small Business Administration Office of Inspector General and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. They will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Merrilyn Hoenemeyer.
Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by contacting the Justice Department’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at
www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form
.
Indictment
Indictment - Bryant
FBI Poster

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