From Dallas Express · Dallas Express · · 1m 40s
Feds Charge Woman In $18M COVID Fraud Case
Federal prosecutors accuse a Los Angeles woman of stealing over $18 million in pandemic relief funds through fake business records.
In brief
Federal prosecutors accuse a Los Angeles woman of stealing over $18 million in pandemic relief funds through fake business records. A Los Angeles woman faces wire fraud and money laundering charges after allegedly misusing $18 million in pandemic relief loans. Originally reported by Dallas Express.
New Fraud Indictment
Federal prosecutors unveiled a new pandemic-relief fraud indictment Wednesday, accusing a Los Angeles woman of seeking more than $18 million in taxpayer-backed assistance through false business and payroll records.
Alleged Fraud Amounts
Marisela Nuno, 53, faces three counts of wire fraud and one count of money laundering after a federal grand jury in the Central District of California indicted her Tuesday.
Loan Applications
Prosecutors allege Nuno applied for more than $15.7 million through the Paycheck Protection Program and more than $2.6 million through the Economic Injury Disaster Loan program.
False Records Alleged
Nuno allegedly used businesses and entities she claimed to own to submit loan requests containing inaccurate employee counts, payroll figures, revenue totals, and eligibility information.
Personal Spending
Prosecutors also allege she supplied false tax documents and spent loan proceeds on private property, business startup expenses, and payments to relatives.
North Texas Parallel
In a separate case, federal prosecutors charged April Watson, 50, with fraud and money laundering involving approximately $680,492 in pandemic loans.
North Texas Case Details
Authorities allege Watson used fabricated payroll records and tax forms to secure funds for businesses she operated, then transferred more than $114,000 toward construction of a personal home in Cedar Hill.
Dallas Area Prosecution
A different Dallas-area prosecution involves Dushawn Nelson of Dallas and Irving and Latrina Dorsey of Chicago helping generate approximately 561 PPP loans totaling $11,049,548.
The essence
A Los Angeles woman faces wire fraud and money laundering charges after allegedly misusing $18 million in pandemic relief loans.
