Laplace Resident Charged with Preparing and Submitting Fraudulent Applications for Cares Act Financial Assistance
Summary
U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced in New Orleans that Munira Schofield, 28, of LaPlace, Louisiana, was charged in a one-count bill of information with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 371 and 1343, over applications for loans tied to the CARES Act. Co-conspirators Lynn Schofield and Bashir Schofield were charged previously. The charging document alleges the three submitted Paycheck Protection Program and Economic Injury Disaster loan applications with false statements, including overstated gross receipts for sole proprietorships that either did not exist or earned far less than represented. The release's penalty paragraph, which names Lynn Schofield, lists a maximum of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The release says a bill of information is merely a charge and guilt must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.
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Full text
NEW ORLEANS – U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that MUNIRA SCHOFIELD , age 28, a resident of LaPlace, Louisiana, was charged last week for her role in preparing and filing false applications for loans related to the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act). SCHOFIELD was charged in a one-count bill of information with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 371 and 1343. SCHOFIELD’s co-conspirators, Lynn Schofield and Bashir Schofield, were charged previously. According to the charging document, MUNIRA SCHOFIELD , Lynn Schofield, and Bashir Schofield worked together to submit applications to obtain money from Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans and Economic Injury Disaster (EIDL) loans fraudulently. The applications they submitted contained numerous materially false statements, including that the applicant had a sole proprietorship and generated substantial income from the business by overinflating gross receipts. They also represented that the loan proceeds would be used for business released purposes, and the defendants intended to use the money for personal reasons. In fact, the entities either did not exist or earned far less money than MUNIRA SCHOFIELD , Lynn Schofield, and Bashir Schofield represented. LYNN SCHOFIELD faces a maximum term of imprisonment of five (5) years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, up to a $250,000 fine, and a $100 mandatory special assessment fee. U.S. Attorney Evans reiterated that a bill of information is merely a charge and that the guilt of the defendants must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt. For more information on the Department of Justice’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus . Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form . U.S. Attorney Evans praised the work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in investigating this matter. Assistant United States Attorney Jordan Ginsberg, Chief of the Public Integrity Unit, is in charge of the prosecution.
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