A Florida woman has admitted her role in concocting a scheme to fabricate loan applications, aiming to extract over $400,000 through fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans, the Justice Department reported. On Oct. 15, Lakeisha Black, who also goes by “Lakeisha Pierce,” pled guilty to charges of conspiracy for her part in crafting false statements to the Small Business Administration.
Between July 2020 and June 2021, Black was caught helping at least 14 individuals secure illicit PPP loans, according to the prosecution. Among those she aided were three former deputies of the Broward County Sheriff’s Office, who, after previously pleading guilty, have already been sentenced. Black, charging service fees between $2,000 and $6,000, is on the hook for instigating over $400,000 in fraudulent PPP loans.
Black's sentencing hearing is slated for Jan. 7, 2025, where she faces a potential maximum of 5 years in prison for the conspiracy charge. U.S. District Judge Rodney Smith, who is presiding over the case, will determine her sentence after evaluating the guidelines and statutory factors involved.
Having led the investigation into these fraudulent activities, a coalition of agencies, including the Office of Inspector General for the Federal Reserve System and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General, the FBI’s Miami Field Office, and the Broward Sheriff’s Office, was responsible for unveiling the details of Black's operation. U.S. Attorneys Latoya C. Brown and Trevor C. Jones are in charge of the prosecution of Black's case.
In response to the growing concern over pandemic-related fraud, the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force was established by the Attorney General on May 17, 2021. This initiative seeks to amplify the efforts to tackle pandemic-related fraud, providing more muscle to agencies overseeing relief programs. The Southern District of Florida has been chosen to head one of the three COVID-19 Fraud Strike Force Teams, a significant undertaking to keep fraudsters exploiting pandemic relief efforts at bay.
Members of the public who have information about attempted fraud involving COVID-19 are encouraged to report such activities. Reports can be made by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline at 866-720-5721 or through the NCDF Web Complaint Form available online. More details on the case can be found on the District Court for the Southern District of Florida's website or at the online public access court electronic records service, under the case number 24-cr-60137.
