Denver woman accused of stealing more than $3.3M from COVID Relief Programs
A woman out of Denver is being accused of stealing more than $3.3 million from COVID Relief Programs, according to the United States Attorney's Office for the District of Colorado.
The U.S. attorney's office says, DeJane Reaniece Lattany, 32, is being charged with wire fraud for receiving the large compensation through fraudulent COVID-19 loans.
Beginning in June 2020 and continuing through January 2022, the defendant prepared and submitted fraudulent EIDL applications to the Small Business Administration (SBA) on behalf of business entities that she purportedly owned, according to court documents.
In these fraudulent applications, Lattany made false statements regarding the entities' number of employees, gross revenues, and cost of goods sold.
She also falsely certified that the information provided in the EIDL applications was accurate while the funds would be used to pay payroll and other permissible expenses when she actually used the bulk of the proceeds for her personal benefit.
The SBA approved and funded five EIDL applications and three EIDGs for a total of $430,000 in EIDLs and $20,000 in EIDGs.
From June 2020 through December 2021, Lattany also submitted fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program applications to participating lenders on behalf of business entities that she purportedly controlled and obtained $2,887,976.94 in loans as a result of the scheme.
She also submitted false and fraudulent documentation in support of the PPP applications to the participating lenders. Lattany also sought loan forgiveness for PPP loans by submitting a loan.
In total, $3,337,976.94 of PPP, EIDL, and EIDG proceeds were paid out as a result of the scheme.
The defendant made her initial appearance before Magistrate Judge S. Kato Crews on Monday.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Denver Division. The prosecution is being handled by Nicole C. Cassidy and Rebecca S. Weber.
