A New Orleans woman is facing federal wire fraud and tax evasion charges after prosecutors say she tried to pull in about $1.3 million through a dozen bogus pandemic relief loan applications, ultimately receiving roughly $447,306 that allegedly went to personal expenses, including a mortgage payment on her home.
Federal Charges Announced
According to a press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of Louisiana, U.S. Attorney David I. Courcelle has filed a two-count bill of information against 44-year-old Amanda Clayborne-Williams. She is charged with one count of wire fraud, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1343, and one count of tax evasion, in violation of 26 U.S.C. § 7201.
What Prosecutors Allege
Federal prosecutors say that between April 2020 and January 2021, at the height of pandemic relief efforts, Clayborne-Williams submitted twelve false and misleading applications for Paycheck Protection Program and Economic Injury Disaster Loan funds, seeking about $1.3 million in total. The filing says she actually received approximately $447,305.98 and then diverted the relief money to personal and unauthorized expenses, including a mortgage payment on her residence.
The press release states that "the alleged total loss to the Small Business Administration for the fraudulent loans is $447,305.98." Courcelle also emphasizes that a bill of information is only a charging document and that Clayborne-Williams' guilt must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt in court.
Penalties Under Federal Law
Federal law sets stiff maximum penalties if a defendant is convicted. Wire fraud can carry up to 20 years in prison, and up to 30 years in certain cases involving disaster benefits or financial institutions, according to the Legal Information Institute. Tax evasion under 26 U.S.C. § 7201 can bring up to five years in prison, along with potential fines and terms of supervised release, per the Legal Information Institute.
How This Fits a Wider Pattern
The Eastern District of Louisiana has been busy chasing down pandemic relief fraud, with prosecutors bringing a series of cases as investigators sift through suspicious loan and tax filings. Local reporting has already highlighted an April guilty plea in which a New Orleans defendant admitted to obtaining roughly $712,000 in relief funds, a case that federal documents say fits a broader playbook of inflated payrolls and phantom employees during the Covid era.
Next Steps for the Clayborne-Williams Case
The U.S. Attorney's Office says Assistant United States Attorney Maria M. Carboni of the Public Integrity Unit is handling the prosecution, and that court proceedings are pending. For now, the charges remain allegations, and Clayborne-Williams is presumed innocent unless and until the government proves its case in court.
