Source: Office of United States Attorneys
Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe announces the indictment and arrests of Earlisha Louis (44, Newnan, Georgia) and Somoza Louis (44, Newnan, Georgia) for one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and four counts of wire fraud related to COVID-19 relief funds. If convicted, each faces up to 30 years in federal prison on each count. Earlisha Louis is also charged with two counts of illegal monetary transactions. Each of those counts carry a maximum penalty of 3 years in federal prison. The indictment also notifies the pair that the United States intends to forfeit a residence and $1,705,553.80, which are alleged to be traceable to the proceeds of the offense.
According to the indictment, between April 2020 and June 2021, Earlisha and Somoza Louis devised a scheme to defraud the Small Business Administration by submitting multiple false and fraudulent Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) and Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan applications. These programs were some of the sources of economic relief provided for by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. After receiving one of the loans, Earlisha Louis transferred more than $10,000 of the fraud proceeds between her accounts.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.
This case was investigated by the Small Business Administration – Office of Inspector General and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Merrilyn E. Hoenemeyer.
On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the department’s response to the pandemic, please visit www.justice.gov/coronavirus.
Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by contacting the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.