A New Orleans woman, identified as BRANDON JARROW (aka Brandi Jarrow), 33, has entered a guilty plea to charges involving the misappropriation of funds allocated as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act), as per a statement by Acting U.S. Attorney Michael M. Simpson. In a statement released by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Louisiana, detailed JARROW’s admission before U.S. District Judge Jane Triche Milazzo regarding the theft of government funds and making false statements related to aid provided for small businesses affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The CARES Act, signed into U.S. law on March 27, 2020, provided financial support through the Small Business Administration (SBA) to small business owners affected by the coronavirus outbreak, particularly through the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and the Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) initiative. The charging documents indicate that JARROW falsified an EIDL application on or around June 20, 2020, for a certain business, leading to the theft of government funds totaling $95,000. Furthermore, on or around February 4, 2021, JARROW submitted deceptive claims in an attempt to secure a PPP loan of $20,833 for another fraudulent business.
As JARROW awaits her sentencing, scheduled for August 13, 2025, she stands to face substantial penalties for her actions. The false statement charges against her could lead to a maximum of five years in prison while the theft of government funds count may result in up to a decade behind bars; moreover, each count also carries the possibility of fines amounting to as much as $250,000, not excluding up to three years of supervised release and an obligatory special assessment fee of $100.
