A Belleville woman is accused of falsely applying for, accepting and spending more than $20,000 in PPP funds for personal expenses.
A federal grand jury charged Felicia D. Harris, 44, with four counts of interstate transportation of a security obtained by fraud. She is employed at the U.S. National Geospatial Agency in St. Louis.
In response to financial hardships created by the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. Small Business Administration utilized the Paycheck Protection Program to offer relief and forgivable loans to struggling businesses. Under PPP, business owners could apply for loans to offset operational costs for payroll, employee benefits, facility expenses and other bills.
“Individuals who are employed by the federal government yet seek to steal from federally funded programs by using false pretenses and enrich themselves with PPP loan funds will be held accountable,” said U.S. Attorney Rachelle Aud Crowe.
According to court documents, Harris is accused of receiving $20,614 in PPP funds she was not entitled to in February through May 2021. She then used misinformation to apply for loan forgiveness and was approved.
“This outcome demonstrates the DoD Office of Inspector General’s Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS), the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency Office of Inspector General, and our investigative partners’ steadfast commitment to ensuring DoD employees abide by the law,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Ryan Settle, DCIS Southwest Field Office. “Accountability and integrity are expected of individuals employed by the U.S. Government.”
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