A Suwanee woman will spend almost four years in prison after she allegedly obtained more than $3.6 million by submitting fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program applications during the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to a press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office, Lakisha Swope, 45, of Suwanee, was sentenced to three years and 10 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release. She was also ordered to pay $3,626,961 in restitution to the U.S. Small Business Administration.
“Congress enacted the Paycheck Protection Program to provide emergency financial assistance to millions of Americans suffering the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic," U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan said. "But Swope used the program to commit a nationwide fraud scheme resulting in a nearly four-million-dollar theft of COVID relief funds. Her sentence reflects the significance of her criminal conduct and demonstrates the dedication of our office, and federal, state, and local law enforcement partners, to ensure that individuals who seek to exploit this critical economic safety net are held accountable for their crimes.”
According to Buchanan, the charges and other information presented in court, Swope operated a nationwide scheme seeking to obtain fraudulent PPP funds. The investigation revealed that dozens of false PPP applications were filed from Swope's residence.
To carry out the scheme, Swope flew around the country, including to Texas, Missouri and Florida to collect loan fees from business owners she was using to file these false PPP applications. Swope's criminal conduct led to banks making $3,626,961 in fraudulent PPP payments. She used the funds on luxury clothing, restaurants, hotels and vacation rentals.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
