Raisha Kelly, a 44-year-old resident of Loxahatchee, Florida, has been sentenced to five years in prison followed by three years of supervised release. She has also been ordered to pay $443,895 in restitution. The ruling was made by United States District Court Judge Federico A. Moreno after Kelly was convicted of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and wire fraud.
According to the case, Kelly orchestrated a scheme to submit fraudulent Payment Protection Program (PPP) loan applications. She conspired with several individuals to falsely claim that the applicants operated sole proprietorship businesses and misrepresented their annual revenue. As part of her scheme, Kelly submitted falsified tax returns and used fake email accounts to mask her involvement. She received a 25 percent kickback for each loan obtained and personally applied for PPP loans using false income figures for her business. Evidence presented at trial showed that Kelly profited by $106,649 from this conspiracy, involving 13 individuals.
The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Hayden P. O’Byrne for the Southern District of Florida, alongside other officials including Acting Inspector in Charge Steven L. Hodges of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Special Agent in Charge Amaleka McCall-Brathwaite of the U.S. Small Business Administration Office of Inspector General, and Special Agent in Charge Mathew Broadhurst of the U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General. The case was investigated by USPIS, SBA-OIG, and DOL-OIG, and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Daniel Bernstein, Eduardo Gardea Jr., and Gabrielle Charest-Turken.
The scheme took advantage of the PPP loans, part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, which was set up in March 2020 to assist Americans suffering from the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Act included provisions for Economic Injury Disaster Loans for businesses affected by the pandemic.
In response to pandemic-related fraud, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force in May 2021 to focus on investigating and prosecuting such crimes. The Southern District of Florida’s U.S. Attorney’s Office was selected to lead one of three national COVID-19 Fraud Strike Force Teams to enhance efforts in tackling COVID-19 related financial fraud.
The public is urged to report any fraudulent activities related to COVID-19 by contacting the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline or through their online form. Related court documents can be accessed at the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida.