Atlanta Area Women Charged With Stealing Millions Of Dollars From The Paycheck Protection Program
ATLANTA, Ga. (CW69 News at 10) – Lakisha Swope, 43, of Alpharetta, and Treisha Pearson, 49, of Brookhaven, were arraigned in federal court on charges of conspiracy, wire fraud, bank fraud, and money laundering after allegedly participating in a scheme to steal over $3.5 million from the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) according to a statement from the Northern District of Georgia U.S. Attorney's office.
According to Acting U.S. Kurt R. Attorney Erskine, the charges, and other information presented in court:
- Lakisha Swope and Treisha Pearson, together with others, allegedly submitted false PPP applications for businesses claiming over $5 million in loans
- The PPP applications allegedly contained materially false information such as false representations regarding the applicant entities' total number of employees and average monthly payroll
As a result of false statements, lenders issued over $3.5 million in PPP loans to them. Swope and Pearson, along with other members of the conspiracy, then allegedly used the fraudulently obtained funds for unauthorized expenditures including luxury clothing, restaurants, personal rent, hotels, and vacation rentals.
Lakisha Swope and Treisha Pearson, 49, of Brookhaven, Georgia, face charges of conspiracy, wire fraud, bank fraud, and money laundering. Both defendants were indicted on February 24, 2021.
Members of the public are reminded that the indictment only contains charges. The defendants are presumed innocent of the charges and it will be the government's burden to prove the defendant's guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.
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