North Texas woman indicted in $680,000 COVID fraud scheme, accused of using some funds to build home

A 50-year-old North Texas woman is facing a 10-count indictment in a $680,000 COVID fraud scheme in which she allegedly used part of the funds to have a home built, the Department of Justice announced Monday. 

April Watson, 50, also known as "April Watson Horton" and "April Shawnette Watson," is charged with four counts of wire fraud, two counts of bank fraud and four counts of money laundering, Ryan Raybould, U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Texas, said in a press release.

According to court documents, between April 2020 and October 2021, Watson secured Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans and Economic Injury Disaster Loans through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act.

Authorities said that to secure the loans, Watson allegedly submitted fraudulent applications on behalf of several entities she owned and operated, including Exotic Bliss Beauty LLC, Brain Evolution LLC and Southern Home Ventures, LLC.

She also allegedly fabricated and submitted false payroll summaries and fake IRS documents that were prepared by an outside payroll company.

The court document stated that no payroll forms were ever generated and that no business tax returns related to wages or gross revenues were filed by those companies for 2019 or 2020.

After her submissions, Watson received large payouts across multiple lenders: 

• $210,698 in PPP loans disbursed by Kabbage, Inc.
• $299,800 in EIDL funds disbursed directly by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA)
• $169,994 in additional PPP funding disbursed by JPMorgan Chase

After receiving the funds, Watson then allegedly made illegal transactions using the money, including transferring over $114,000 toward the construction of a personal residence in Cedar Hill and wiring $40,000 to an individual associate.

"Emergency relief programs were enacted as a vital lifeline to keep struggling businesses afloat during the pandemic—not to subsidize private home construction and luxury purchases," said Raybould.

If convicted, Watson faces the following punishments:

• Up to 20 years in federal prison for each count of wire fraud
• Up to 30 years in federal prison for each count of bank fraud
• Up to 10 years in federal prison for each count of unlawful monetary transactions

"COVID loan fraud is heinous. Criminals fraudulently applied for and received the money that honest people needed to keep their businesses alive," said IRS-CI Texas Field Office Special Agent in Charge Christopher J. Altemus Jr.

The DOJ is also seeking the forfeiture of Watson's Cedar Hill home, along with a monetary judgment for the full value of the loans.