American’s love restaurants. And understanding how important they are to the economy, the United States Congress enacted special measures in the CARES Act to support the restaurant industry during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Restaurant Revitalization Fund (RFF) was designed to provide eligible restaurants with funding equal to their COVID-19 pandemic-related revenue losses. RRF recipients were not required to repay the funding if used for eligible expenses – a detail too tempting for fraudsters not to exploit. Especially for Michelle Denise McIntyre who only served fraud on her menu.
In May 2021, McIntyre filed for RRF grants, falsely claiming that she had been operating a catering business since December 16, 2019, which caused the Small Business Administration to award her grants totaling $131,478. In the application, McIntyre included false receipts and documents purporting to show food orders that her purported catering business had served to clients. But her clients weren’t looking to hire a catering service to handle a special event. They were seeking an expert to help commit fraud.
McIntyre operated a business where she charged up-front fees to file pandemic relief applications on others’ behalf, regardless of their eligibility. McIntyre was responsible for fraudulently applying for Paycheck Protection Program Loans, Economic Injury Disaster Loans and Advances and additional RRF money on behalf of others – resulting in more than $700,000 in fraudulently gained proceeds.
On April 4, 2025, Michelle Denise McIntyre was sentenced to nine and a half years in prison for COVID-19 CARE’S Act Fraud.
Shout out to the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigative Department.
Today’s Fraud of the Day “Tallasee woman sentenced to 9 years in prison for federal program fraud” published by WSFA News on April 4, 2025.
A federal judge has sentence a woman from Tallasee, Alabama to 9 and a half years in prison on fraud charges. According to the United States Department of Justice, Michele Denise McIntyre, 34, pled guilty to wire fraud and money laundering charges for receiving grants through the Restaurant Revitalization fund program (RFF).
According to her plea agreement, McIntyre admitted she was awarded more then $100,000 in grant funding after she applied for RFF grants, falsely claiming she had begun operating a catering business in December, 2019. McIntyre included false receipts and documents in the application showing food orders that were never placed. The plea deal alleges McIntyre used the money she received to buy a vehicle and cover other “unauthorized personal expenses.”
