U.S. Department of Labor OIG, Former Louisiana Woman Indicted for Preparing Over 110 Fraudulent PPP Loans Totaling Over $1.1 Million Dollars (USAO ED-LA 09/09/2022) (2022-09-14)

Summary

A press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Louisiana, dated Friday, September 9, 2022, announcing the indictment of Sharnae Every, age 27, of Houston, Texas. Every is charged with one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud under Title 18, United States Code, Section 1349 and two counts of mail fraud under Section 1341. Investigators determined there were at least 110 PPP sole proprietor loan applications in and around the Thibodeaux, Louisiana area with the same invoices and Schedule C forms. According to the indictment, Every created a fictitious business called "Natural Hair Afro, LLC" and charged recruits $45.00 to $120.00, then approximately $3,500.00 once loans were funded. The listed maximum is twenty (20) years per count.

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“U.S. Department of Labor OIG, Former Louisiana Woman Indicted for Preparing Over 110 Fraudulent PPP Loans Totaling Over $1.1 Million Dollars (USAO ED-LA 09/09/2022) (2022-09-14).” Original at www.oig.dol.gov. Archived at Pandemic Darlings, https://pandemicdarlings.com/source-documents/u-s-department-of-labor-oig-former-louisiana-woman-indicted-for-prepar-2a7d682eef/, SHA-256 41c20f73eb7259d71a5e747714daee5e1fd509fd37d04e7d3c374fcff8fe2e98.

Full text

                                       Department of Justice
                                         U.S. Attorney’s Office
                                     Eastern District of Louisiana

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                       Friday, September 9, 2022

 Former Louisiana Woman Indicted for Preparing Over 110
  Fraudulent PPP Loans Totaling Over $1.1 Million Dollars
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – United States Attorney Duane A. Evans announced today the
indictment of SHARNAE EVERY (“EVERY”), age 27, of Houston, Texas, who was charged with one
(1) count of Conspiracy to Commit Mail Fraud in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1349
and two (2) counts of Mail Fraud in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1341.

The case against EVERY began as a result of a referral from the COVID-19 Pandemic Response
Accountability Committee (“PRAC”) regarding possible fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program
loans (“PPP”). Investigators determined there were at least 110 PPP sole proprietor loan applications
in and around the Thibodeaux, Louisiana area and they all had the same invoices and federal tax forms
(“Schedule C”) with the same business name and amounts.

According to today’s indictment, EVERY created a fictitious business called “Natural Hair Afro, LLC,
Houma, LA 70360” and used this fictitious business name on nearly all of the fraudulent PPP loan
applications. EVERY advertised under various aliases on Facebook to recruit individuals to obtain
money from the PPP program. EVERY prepared and submitted false and fraudulent PPP sole
proprietor loan applications via various online portals including, but not limited, to
Blueacorn. EVERY created all of the false and fraudulent invoices, bank statements, and Schedule
Cs. EVERY falsely certified that the applications and the information provided in the supporting
documents were true and accurate when she electronically submitted the fraudulent PPP loan
applications.

EVERY charged $45.00 to $120.00 from the individuals she recruited to prepare and submit the
fraudulent PPP application. EVERY primarily used Cash App to receive the initial
payments. EVERY then         charged approximately   $3,500.00     once   the   loans    were
funded. EVERY received these funds into her Current account, her Cash App account, or into her
boyfriend’s Current account.

If convicted, EVERY faces a maximum penalty of twenty (20) years, followed by a term of supervised
release for up to three (3) years, a fine up to $250,000.00, or twice the gross gain to the defendant, or
twice the gross loss to any victim, and a $100.00 mandatory special assessment fee, per count.

U.S. Attorney Evans reiterated that the indictment is merely a charge and that the guilt of the
defendant must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.

On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to
marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government
to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to
investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists
agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods,
augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and
techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information
and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the Department’s
response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus. The Veterans
Administration, Office of the Inspector General, is an active member of the PRAC Fraud Task Force.

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.

The United States Attorney’s Office would also like to acknowledge the assistance of the Veterans
Administration, Office of the Inspector General; United States Department of Labor, Office of the
Inspector General; United States Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security
Investigations; and the United States Secret Service’s Cyber Fraud Task Force, consisting of the
Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office, Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office, Thibodeaux Police Department, and
the Louisiana Bureau of Investigation with this matter. The prosecution of this case is being handled
by Assistant United States Attorney Brian M. Klebba, Chief of the Financial Crimes Unit, and Assistant
United States Attorney Edward Rivera, COVID-19 Fraud Coordinator.



                                                * * *
Attachment(s):
Download 2_ecf_doc_1_-_sharnae_every_indictment_redacted_sanitized.pdf
Topic(s):
Coronavirus
Financial Fraud
Component(s):
USAO - Louisiana, Eastern

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Our copy: 2022-09-14-Former-Louisiana-Woman-Indicted-for-Preparing-Over-110-Fraudulent-PPP-Loans-Totaling-Over-1-1-Milli.pdf
Original: www.oig.dol.gov