United States of America v. McCayla Myers

Charleston, West Virginia, criminal defense lawyer represented the Defendant charged with aiding and abetting theft of government money.

Reported by Kent Morlan

McCayla Myers, 27, of Cabin Creek, engaged in a scheme to defraud the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) of $83,332.00 in COVID-19 relief loans guaranteed by the Small Business Administration (SBA) under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act).

From on or about April 22, 2021, through on or about May 22, 2021, Myers provided her personal information to another individual to apply for and obtain four PPP loans, each for $20,833.00, through fraud. Two of the loan applications falsely claimed those loans were for an automotive repair business, and the other two falsely claimed those were for a delivery service business.

The CARES Act made forgivable PPP loans available to businesses adversely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, to replace their normal income and for certain other eligible essential expenses. As part of her guilty plea, Myers admitted that she knowingly defrauded the PPP program, that she did not own or operate the businesses listed on the loan applications, and that she did not have payroll or other qualifying business expenses at that time. Myers further admitted that she spent the PPP loan proceeds on clothing, firearms, vacations, and other personal expenses while knowing that none of these purchases were eligible expenses.

Myers also admitted that she sought to have one of the $20,833.00 loans forgiven on or about December 16, 2022, by falsely claiming that she had spent $19,000.00 of the proceeds on payroll.

The Defendant elected to plead guilty and faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000. Myers also owes $83,332.00 in restitution.