# 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.
- Title: Feds Charge Woman In $18M COVID Fraud Case · Dallas Express
- Summary: 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…
- Keywords: federal prosecutors, paycheck protection program, economic injury disaster loan, wire fraud, money laundering, los angeles, north texas, covid relief fraud, Dallas Express
- Source: Dallas Express — https://dallasexpress.com/crime/feds-charge-woman-in-18-million-covid-relief-fraud-case-as-north-texas-prosecutions-mount
- Author: Dallas Express
- Published: 2026-11-04T20:45:17+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: federal prosecutors, paycheck protection program, economic injury disaster loan, wire fraud, money laundering, los angeles, north texas, covid relief fraud, news, politics
## 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.
## Key takeaway

A Los Angeles woman faces wire fraud and money laundering charges after allegedly misusing $18 million in pandemic relief loans.