Last of Eight Defendants Sentenced in $7.7 Million Pandemic Fraud Scheme

Summary

Press release of the U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of Michigan, dated February 2, 2026. Timothy Boyle, the last of eight defendants in a $7.7 million pandemic fraud scheme targeting the Small Business Administration and numerous state unemployment programs, was sentenced. The eight defendants pleaded guilty to various wire fraud and identity theft offenses before Judge Judith E. Levy and will pay a total of $7,703,549 in restitution. The release says the co-conspirators filed over 1,000 claims for pandemic unemployment assistance across 17 states and territory of Guam and obtained over $5.6 million, and filed over 575 fraudulent applications for Paycheck Protection Loans and Economic Injury Disaster Loans, obtaining approximately $2.1 million.

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PRESS RELEASE


Last of Eight Defendants Sentenced in $7.7
Million Pandemic Fraud Scheme
Monday, February 2, 2026

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of Michigan

DETROIT– Timothy Boyle, the last of eight defendants in a $7.7 million pandemic fraud
scheme targeting the Small Business Administration and numerous state unemployment
programs, was sentenced today, United States Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon Jr.
announced.

Gorgon was joined in the announcement by Jennifer Runyan, Special Agent in Charge of
the Federal Bureau of Investigation – Michigan Division, Megan Howell, Special Agent in
Charge United States Department of Labor – Office of Inspector General, Great Lakes
Region, and Acting Special Agent-in Charge, Michelle Blank, Small Business
Administration-Office of Inspector General.

The eight defendants in this case all pleaded guilty to various wire fraud and identity
theft offenses before Judge Judith E. Levy. The ringleader of the fraud scheme,
DeAngelo Jackson-Portwood, 42, of Detroit, was sentenced to 61 months
imprisonment. Anton Greenwood, 39, also of Detroit, and Adartha Tillman, 42, of
Roseville, were sentenced to 42 and 40 months of incarceration, respectively. Maurice
Brown-Portwood, 35, of Clinton Township received a 22 month sentence, and Taurean
Davis, 44, of Detroit a sentence of 12 months imprisonment. Defendant Christopher
Lindsay, 38, of Detroit received a sentence of three years of probation, as did Tyrone
Boyle, 58, and his twin brother Timothy Boyle, both of Los Angeles, California.

The eight defendants will pay a total of $7,703,549 in restitution to the SBA and various
state workforce agencies.

According to court records, between early 2020 and approximately May 2021, DeAngelo
Jackson-Portwood orchestrated a scheme to defraud state workforce agencies by
illegally obtaining millions of dollars in pandemic unemployment assistance funds.
Jackson-Portwood, aided by his seven-codefendants, obtained the names, social security
numbers, and other personal identifying information of numerous unsuspecting
individuals. Without those individuals’ knowledge or consent, Jackson-Portwood and his
co-conspirators used their names to file over 1,000 claims for pandemic unemployment
assistance across 17 states and territory of Guam. The co-conspirators obtained over
$5.6 million on these bogus unemployment claims, with most of the losses being borne
by the Michigan and California workforce agencies.

DeAngelo Jackson-Portwood’s scheme also targeted pandemic loan assistance
programs managed by the SBA. The co-conspirators filed over 575 fraudulent
applications for Paycheck Protection Loans and Economic Injury Disaster Loans in the
names of various businesses. The loan applications contained all manner of false
statements. In some instances, the businesses did not exist. In others, the supposed
proprietors of the businesses were in fact identity theft victims. Jackson-Portwood and
his co-conspirators obtained approximately $2.1 million from their fraudulent
applications targeting these pandemic loan assistance programs.

United States Attorney Gorgon stated, “Today’s sentence concludes one of the largest
pandemic fraud cases in our state. Jackson-Portwood fleeced the American taxpayer
through a brazen fraud scheme. And we thank our partners at the FBI, Department of
Labor, and Small Business Administration for uncovering this crime.”

“The sentencing of the final defendant in this multimillion-dollar pandemic fraud
scheme brings long-overdue justice to more than 900 victims whose lives were
disrupted by greed and deception,” said Jennifer Runyan, Special Agent in Charge of the
FBI Detroit Field Office. “Among those victims was a nurse working 12-plus hour shifts
on the front lines during COVID-19, who then had to fight to clear her name after her
identity was stolen. These defendants did not just steal money; they stole peace of mind
from hardworking Americans during a national crisis. This outcome was made possible
through the relentless work of members from the FBI Detroit Area Corruption Task
Force, alongside our federal partners at the U.S. Department of Labor – OIG and the
Small Business Administration – OIG. Our office will continue to pursue those who
exploit national emergencies for personal gain and ensure they are held fully
responsible under the law.”

“The defendants stole from unemployment insurance programs that exist to help
American workers during a once-in-a-generation global pandemic,” said Anthony P.
D’Esposito, Inspector General, U.S. Department of Labor. “That kind of fraud directly
harms workers and taxpayers alike. Our team will relentlessly protect the integrity of
these critical benefit programs and pursue accountability for anyone who tries to game
the system for personal gain. I thank the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of
Michigan and our law-enforcement partners for their strong collaboration and
commitment to justice.”
“This sentencing serves as a reminder that fraud is not a victimless crime, and it has no
place in SBA lending programs,” said SBA-OIG Acting Special Agent-in Charge, Michelle
Blank. “SBA-OIG will continue working with our law enforcement partners to investigate
and pursue those who use stolen personal information to obtain disaster and relief
funds.”

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the United States
Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General, and the Small Business
Administration, Office of Inspector General. The case was prosecuted by Assistant
United States Attorneys John K. Neal and Alyse Wu.

Updated February 2, 2026

Topic
CORONAVIRUS
Component
USAO - Michigan, Eastern


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