Macomb woman, 40, sentenced for her role in $3 million COVID-19 fraud scheme
A 40-year-old woman has been sentenced for her role in a fraud scheme involving over $3 million in federal loans intended for pandemic relief, according to court records filed with the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan on Thursday.
A judge sentenced Rita Shaba of Macomb, Michigan, to 27 months in Prison and ordered her to pay just over $3.2 million in restitution. She pleaded guilty in August to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and bank fraud, court documents said.
The FBI and Homeland Security Investigations identified over $3.3 million in fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program loans submitted for several businesses associated with Shaba, and Shelby Township, Michigan, residents Samer Kammo and Christina Anasi, according to the criminal complaint. According to the Department of Justice, law enforcement has recovered $2.1 million of those funds.
The federal program was created by Congress in 2020 to assist businesses impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Eligible businesses could apply for loans guaranteed by the Small Business Administration, and later seek to have those loans forgiven.
The complaint said Shaba, Kammo and Anasi also tried to obtain an additional $8.7 million in fraudulent COVID relief loans that were not funded "due to suspected fraud or applications withdrawn."
Kammo and Anasi have yet to be sentenced, federal officials said in a news release on Thursday. They each face up to 30 years in prison.
"The sentence imposed demonstrates that fraudulent abuse will not be tolerated," Jennifer Runyan, special agent in charge of the FBI Detroit Field Office, said in a written statement.
The Unemployment Insurance Agency and the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity helped with the investigation, according to the Department of Justice.