Swope was a business owner, of a business called Luxe Recover, which helped clients plan for and recover from outpatient surgeries. A business that should have thrived since outpatient surgeries became the norm during the pandemic. Fraudsters see things differently. Congress enacted the PPP loans to provide emergency financial assistance to the American companies suffering from the economic effects of the pandemic. Swope managed a conspiracy to defraud the program using false PPP applications in the names of dozens of businesses.
Authorities found Swopes residence to have “volumninous” documents showing her role in the scheme to steal from the COVID-19 PPP loans. “Voluminous” meaning enough documents to steal about $4 million in Paycheck Protection Program funds. Travel restrictions imposed to flatten the curve of COVID-19 infections did not get in the way of Lakisha Swope from stealing from the U.S. taxpayer. Swope flew around the country, including Texas, Missouri, and Florida, to obtain the funds from the business owners she was using to file the false PPP applications.
Not one penny of the stolen loan funds was used for business assistance. Swope used the money to live the high life buying luxury items for her own personal use. Swope was sentenced to three years and 10 months in prison and was ordered to pay $3,626,961 in restitution to the U.S. Small Business Administration.
Great job in this investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Today’s Fraud of The Day is based on article “Georgia woman gets four years in prison for COVID-19 relief fraud, officials say” published by WSBTV News on August 10, 2023
A 45-year-old Suwanee woman will serve nearly four years in prison after she fraudulently collected nearly $4 million in Paycheck Protection Programs, a relief program during the COVID-19 pandemic. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia said Lakisha Swope submitted fraudulent PPP applications and got the funds she applied for.
The USAO said Swope flew around the country to obtain the funds, with dozens of false PPP applications filed from her home in Suwanee. The USAO said a search warrant revealed the extent of her activities.
