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Date: 08-13-2021
Case Style:
Case Number: 3:21-cr-00074-KAC-HBG
Judge: Katherine Crytzer
Court: United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee (Knox County)
Plaintiff's Attorney: United States Attorney’s Office
Defendant's Attorney:
Description: Knoxville, Tennessee criminal defense lawyer represented Defendant charged with wire fraud.
From March to June 2020, Porsha Tims Bush, age 41, applied for ten loans for $547,286 through the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program. Bush submitted false and fraudulent applications under the names of various companies that either did not qualify for COVID-19 relief funds or that did not exist. Bush submitted nine fraudulent applications to financial institutions seeking PPP funds and one fraudulent application to the SBA seeking EIDL funds. As part of her fraud scheme, Bush submitted fabricated supporting records and made false statements about the number of employees she had, the revenue she generated, and the amount of payroll expenses she incurred. Bush also made false statements about the corporate entities and the intended use of the loan proceeds.
In one instance, on March 30, 2020, Bush submitted an online application to the SBA in the name of Enlightenment Family Care, Inc., seeking $150,000 in EIDL funds. On the application, Bush falsely claimed that Enlightenment Family Care employed four individuals, generated $335,651 in gross revenue, and paid wages of $45,651 in the twelve months preceding the COVID-19 pandemic. These claims were all false. In further support of the application, Bush included fraudulent supporting documents, including a falsified Profit and Loss Statement and a fabricated Internal Revenue Service Form 941, Employer Quarterly Federal Tax Return, for the first quarter of 2020.
As a result of Bush’s fraudulent scheme, lenders approved eight of her fraudulent applications. Rather than using the funds for permissible business expenses, as required by the SBA, Bush used the money to pay off personal debt, pay for personal travel, purchase clothes and electronics, and to fund her daily lifestyle.
During the investigation, law enforcement obtained warrants to seize approximately $77,820.44 in fraudulent proceeds held in three bank accounts controlled by Bush. As set forth in the filed plea agreement, Bush will forfeit these seized funds to the United States.
This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney William A. Roach, Jr.
18:1343 - Wire Fraud
Outcome: Defendant pleaded guilty.
Plaintiff's Experts:
Defendant's Experts:
Comments: