Posted on 10/07/2022 9:47:17 AM PDT by grundle
Five current or former IRS employees in Tennessee and Mississippi fraudulently received thousands of dollars in COVID relief funds to finance lavish lifestyles, according to the Department of Justice.
The five suspects allegedly submitted bogus loan applications to the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) Program in an effort to gain over $1 million in funding.
They then used the loan funds to finance their extravagant lifestyles, such as buying new cars, luxury goods, and personal travel, including trips to Las Vegas, according to court documents.
“The IRS employees charged in these cases allegedly abused the trust placed in them by the public,” said Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “The Criminal Division is committed to safeguarding that public trust and protecting pandemic relief programs for the American people.”
“This matter demonstrates the brazenness with which bad actors have taken advantage of federal programs meant to help those who suffered most from the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Director for COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Kevin Chambers. “The Justice Department will continue to work hard to root out PPP and EIDL Program fraud, including that committed by government employees.”
According to the DOJ, the five individuals charged are:
Brian Saulsberry, 46, of Memphis, Tennessee, is charged with two counts of wire fraud and two counts of money laundering. Saulsberry was employed by the IRS as a Program Evaluation and Risk Analyst in the Human Capital Office. According to the indictment, Saulsberry submitted four fraudulent EIDL Program applications, seeking at least $501,400 in EIDL Program loans and obtaining $171,400 in loan funds. Saulsberry allegedly spent a portion of the funds on a Mercedes-Benz and deposited additional funds into a personal investment account.
Courtney Quinshe Westmoreland, 38, of Cordova, Tennessee, is charged with three counts of wire fraud. Westmoreland was employed by the IRS as a Contact Representative in the Wage and Investment Service Centers Department. According to the indictment, Westmoreland submitted multiple fraudulent PPP and EIDL Program applications on behalf of a purported apparel business, for which she sought at least $32,500 in loans and obtained $11,500 in loan funds. Westmoreland allegedly used these funds for personal services, including manicures and massages, and to purchase luxury clothing. In addition, while employed full-time by the IRS, Westmoreland allegedly submitted fraudulent applications for unemployment insurance benefits to the Tennessee Department of Labor, in which she falsely claimed that she was not employed by the federal government. According to court documents, Westmoreland fraudulently obtained $16,050 in unemployment insurance benefits.
Fatina Hewitt, 35, of Olive Branch, Mississippi, is charged with one count of wire fraud. Hewitt was employed by the IRS as a Management and Program Assistant in Information Technology. According to the information, Hewitt submitted multiple fraudulent EIDL Program applications on behalf of a purported fashion business, seeking $338,900 in EIDL Program loans and obtaining $28,900 in loan funds. Court documents allege that Hewitt spent the loan funds on Gucci clothing and a trip to Las Vegas. On October 4, 2022, Hewitt pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud.
Roderick DeMarco White II, 27, of Memphis, is charged with one count of wire fraud. White was employed by the IRS as a Contact Representative in the Wage and Investment Service Centers Department. According to the information, White submitted four fraudulent PPP and EIDL Program applications on behalf of a purported apparel business, seeking $113,311 in PPP and EIDL Program loans and obtaining $66,666 in loan funds. White allegedly spent the loan funds on personal items, including a Gucci satchel. On August 25, 2022, White pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud.
Tina Humes, 56, of Memphis, is charged with one count of wire fraud. Humes was employed by the IRS as a Lead Management and Program Assistant in the Human Capital Office. According to the information, Humes submitted four fraudulent PPP and EIDL Program applications, seeking $133,812 in loans and obtaining $123,612 in loan funds. Humes allegedly spent the funds on jewelry and trips to Las Vegas. On July 27, 2022, Humes pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud.
Each count of wire fraud carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, and 10 years for each count of money laundering, DOJ said.
The Gateway Pundit previously reported that Paul Pelosi’s restaurant company called EDI Associates received loans of more than $1.7 million from the federal government, which won’t have to be repaid.
EDI Associates was given two loans – one for $711,708 and the other for $996,392.
As the database shows, both loans have been forgiven. As noted by the Daily Mail, the decision to forgive a loan is based upon a formula that takes into account the number of employees retained and their wages.
The news about the husband of the House speaker raised eyebrows on social media.
Joey - Still with Sarcasm and Facts @jjstyx Paul Pelosi has a net worth of over 120 Million and took a 1,709,100 dollar PPP loan that was then forgiven. But they need 87,000 IRS agents to look into your finances. 4:42 PM · Aug 17, 2022 ·Twitter Web App 196 Retweets 11 Quote Tweets 333 Likes
Doubt it.
And soon there will be 87 thousand more of them
I hope they declared the amount they stole as taxable income.
No pictures? Wonder why that is.
All in the Memphis area, aka the ass end of Tennessee.
And to think all they had to do was run a money laundering scam with China and lie on a gun permit application to get off scot free !
“Five IRS Employees Charged with Stealing COVID Relief Funds to Finance Lavish Lifestyles, Including Trips to Las Vegas and Gucci Purchases”
At least the money wasn’t squandered.
I would say, most likely, yes they are, so they might walk, or maybe Bidung will pardon them. 👎 Speaking of pardons, a little off the thread, but I wonder if he will pardon Hunter?
It’s just the tip of the iceberg.
The correct number is 87K...but who’s counting?
A “lavish” trip to Vegas? These jokers think small. Vegas is where you go when you don’t have money so that you can lose a lot it and not remember.
If I were to steal money for a “lavish” trip, Vegas trash is the last place I’d go.
Typical behavior for government officials in a Third World nation.
Calif governor Newsom made $3 million PPP loan just 11 days after asking for it for his winery. Others waited many months or never received. He also made off with $1.4 billion he got without the state legislative to what he said was to buy masks from a Chinese mask company! that never arrived. The $1.4 billion is his buy in to the democrat party to run for president.
Have we rooted out all the constitution supporting right wing extremists yet?
Only five?
Pretty soon they’re going to have 87,000 of them to keep their eyes on. That’s going to be a biotch.
I hate it when the dorks on “social media” raise their eyebrows.
“a Program Evaluation and Risk Analyst in the Human Capital Office” - that’s a job description for what, exactly? This says everything you need about useless bureaucratic agencies.
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