NEW ORLEANS – BRANDI WEBER, age 28, formerly of New Orleans, LA and now residing in California, pleaded guilty to one-count of making false statements related to the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act), announced U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans. WEBER was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Wendy Vitter to two (2) years’ probation. In addition, WEBER was ordered to pay $29,177.50 in restitution to the SBA and a $100 mandatory special assessment fee.
On March 27, 2020, The CARES Act established several new temporary programs and provided for the expansion of others to address the COVID-19 pandemic. Among these programs, the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) authorized forgivable loans backed by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) to small businesses to retain workers and maintain payroll, make mortgage interest payments, lease payments, and utility payments. The PPP allows the interest and principal on the PPP loan to be forgiven if the business spends the loan proceeds on these expense items within a designated period of time after receiving the proceeds and uses at least a certain percentage of the PPP loan proceeds on payroll expenses.
According to court documents, WEBER made false statements to an approved lender on or about April 2, 2021, for the purpose of fraudulently obtaining a PPP loan. WEBER falsely stated in her PPP application that she was a self-employed esthetician impacted by the pandemic when, in truth, she had no such...
VOLUME 47 A hantavirus outbreak linked to a Dutch cruise ship in early May was followed by false health claims that mirror patterns documented in previous outbreaks, including unsupported claims t...