ATLANTA - Teldrin Foster, a Decatur resident, and Carla Jackson, a Tucker resident, have been convicted by a jury for their involvement in schemes to steal Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) funds amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.
Foster faced charges including wire fraud, bank fraud, conspiracy, making false statements, and money laundering, totaling 14 counts. Jackson, on the other hand, was charged with two counts of money laundering. After a seven-day trial, both defendants were found guilty on all counts.
The 16-defendant indictment, comprising 63 felony counts, alleged various conspiracies among the defendants in a wider investigation into PPP fund theft. The investigation has resulted in the convictions of 23 out of 24 defendants charged during the probe, with the final case still pending.
Foster, working with co-defendant Darrell Thomas, was found to have fraudulently obtained at least 14 loans between April 2020 and August 2020, totaling over $11.1 million. The loan applications contained false information about businesses' operations, employees, and payroll expenses, using fabricated documents to support their claims.
To conceal and launder the stolen funds, Jackson played a role by receiving over $300,000 into her business's bank account. The funds were disguised through check and wire transfer transactions, falsely claiming they were for consulting fees, daily business management, and payroll services.
The case is being investigated by multiple federal agencies, including the FBI, IRS-Criminal Investigation, U.S. Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, and the Small Business Administration-Office of the Inspector General. The prosecution team includes Assistant U.S. Attorneys Tal Chaiken, Samir Kaushal, and Nathan Kitchens, along with Trial Attorney Siji Moore from the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section.
The COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force, established in May 2021, aims to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud, enhancing the Department of Justice's efforts. Anyone with information regarding attempted fraud involving COVID-19 is encouraged to report it to the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline.