Carnisha Maurica Rogers was indicted on Oct. 21 for allegedly committing fraud to collect Payment Protection Plan (PPP) loan funds, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida.
The U.S. Attorney’s office cites three other charges in the indictment.
“Four counts involving conspiracy to commit wire fraud and wire fraud, and four counts of false representation of a Social Security number involving a line of credit scheme and COVID relief fraud through the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP).”
The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and U.S. Secret Service -– Jacksonville Field Office began investigating Roger’s alleged conduct, where more details were uncovered. Rogers is said to have allegedly applied for a PPP loan with the Small Business Administration (SBA) during the COVID-19 pandemic. She filed for a PPP loan to help her failing small business. Rogers did not own a business. She received $20,832 in COVID-19 relief. In 2021, Rogers filed for PPP loan forgiveness, claiming that $18,000 of the loan was used to satisfy payroll.
The defendant’s alleged crimes did not begin in 2020. The investigation uncovered that Rogers was allegedly part of a multi-person network that stole Social Security information from unsuspecting victims. The network would later sell that information online.
“From February 2016 through September 2019, Rogers and others recruited individuals to obtain lines of credit at various businesses using the SSNs. After fraudulently obtaining the lines of credit, they obtained jewelry and other merchandise. They also attempted to obtain at least one luxury vehicle. Rogers and her co-conspirators resold some of the merchandise and lines of credit on social media platforms.”
Roger’s accomplices were not named in the indictment, and there is no indication that they have been charged with the offenses at this time.
Rogers is not the only Florida resident accused of PPP loan fraud. On Oct. 18, BLACK ENTERPRISE reported on Florida businessman Issa Asad. Asad used his company, QLink Telecommunications Inc., to receive $600 million in government subsidies through the Federal Communication Commission’s Lifeline program. Asad pleaded guilty to “hundreds of thousands of COVID-19 relief funds.”
“Issa Asad and his company, Q Link Wireless, purposefully defrauded two critical federal programs helping individuals and businesses suffering financial hardship, unlawfully taking hundreds of millions of dollars for their use and profit while obstructing the United States’ ability to help people who, unlike the defendants, needed it,” said Markenzy Lapointe, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Florida.
Asad’s sentencing is scheduled for January 2025. He faces up to 15 years in federal prison if given the maximum sentence.
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