In Kansas City, Missouri, a woman has pleaded guilty to her part in a scheme to obtain more than $220,000 in fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan funds.
Daisha Sanders, a former resident of Blue Springs, Missouri, has been charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud. She has confessed to her involvement in a scheme where fraudulent applications for PPP loans were submitted between February 2021 and July 2022.
Sanders, who is 33 years old, prepared a total of 14 fraudulent PPP loan applications. These applications were then submitted, with some being accepted while others were rejected. Sanders was responsible for creating applications not only for herself but also for her co-conspirators. In return for her assistance, Sanders received a payment from the loan proceeds.
The applications falsely represented the presence of a sole proprietorship prior to the pandemic or significantly exaggerated the revenues of any existing “businesses” in 2019.
Sanders fabricated bank records, IRS forms, and other financial documents in order to back up the fraudulent loan applications. The funds were given to individuals who were not eligible, and despite not being used for the intended purposes outlined in the PPP, most of the funds were ultimately forgiven.
According to the plea agreement, Sanders earned a minimum of $40,832 from the scheme, with his prep fee ranging from $2,000 to $5,000. As part of the agreement, he is required to forfeit this amount to the government. Additionally, Sanders is obligated to pay restitution to the Small Business Administration.
Sanders is the eighth defendant to plead guilty in this case. All the other convicted co-defendants have also admitted to applying for a PPP loan of around $20,833.
Sanders could potentially be sentenced to up to 20 years in federal prison with no chance of parole. A hearing to determine his sentence will be scheduled at a later time.
