A Jacksonville woman has entered a guilty plea to charges related to a credit scheme and COVID-19 relief fraud, specifically concerning the misuse of the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). Crystal Denean Harvell, age 37, faces a potential maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison for each of the two counts she's been charged with – one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and one count of wire fraud involving the pandemic relief funds, as announced by the United States Attorney's Office.
From 2016 through 2019, Harvell, along with her accomplices, was involved in recruiting individuals to fraudulently obtain lines of credit using others' Social Security numbers in order to purchase and then resell jewelry and other merchandise, as per the details shared by the United States Attorney's Office. Prosecutors further detailed that Harvell attempted to unjustly enrich herself by submitting a falsified loan application for the PPP, a program meant to assist small business owners during the COVID-19 pandemic. She has agreed to forfeit more than $20,000, which can be directly traced back to the proceeds of this fraudulent activity.
According to a statement by the U.S. Attorney's Office, Harvell's PPP loan application included multiple fabricated statements concerning her purported business’s gross income and expenses. The loan application, supported by a falsified IRS Form 1040, led to her receiving $20,415 from the program. In her loan forgiveness application, Harvell continued the deception by falsely claiming the loan proceeds were used for payroll and other eligible expenses, which resulted in the SBA forgiving the full amount of the loan plus accrued interest.
The investigation into Harvell's activities was conducted by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and the U.S. Secret Service – Jacksonville Field Office. Assistant United States Attorney Kevin C. Frein is prosecuting the case, while Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer M. Harrington is handling the asset forfeiture. The U.S. Attorney's Office has also reminded the public that the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force, established by the Attorney General, continues to fiercely pursue fraudulent activities related to the pandemic relief efforts. They encourage anyone with information about attempted fraud involving COVID-19 to report it through the National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form.
