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Five current or former employees with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) in Tennessee and Mississippi have been charged with stealing money meant to help business owners.
They have been charged with taking hundreds of thousands of dollars from the federal government to support their lifestyles.
The money was designated as COVID-19 relief funds. It came from Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) Program.
The Western District of Tennessee Kevin G. Ritz said, “These individuals – acting out of pure greed – abused their positions by taking government funds meant for citizens and businesses who desperately needed it.”
It was reported that the defendants submitted false loan applications that provided them with more than $1 million.
More on this story via Fox Business:
Brian Saulsberry, 46, of Memphis, Tennessee, is charged with two counts of wire fraud and two counts of money laundering. He worked for the IRS as a Program Evaluation and Risk Analyst in the Human Capital Office and submitted four EIDL applications. He allegedly received $171,400 and spent a portion of the money on a Mercedes-Benz and deposited additional funds into a personal investment account.
Courtney Quinshe Westmoreland, 38, of Cordova, Tennessee, is charged with three counts of wire fraud. She claimed she wasn’t working while employed by the IRS, the Justice Department said. She used the $11,500 in loan funds for manicures and massages, and to purchase luxury clothing.
Fatina Hewitt, 35, of Olive Branch, Mississippi, is charged with one count of wire fraud. Hewitt spent $28,900 on Gucci clothes and a trip to Las Vegas, authorities said.
Roderick DeMarco White II, 27, of Memphis, has pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud. Tina Humes, 56, of Memphis, also charged with a single count of wire fraud, allegedly spent $123,612 in loan funds on jewelry and trips to Las Vegas.
She has also pleaded guilty. Each suspect faces up to 20 years in prison for each wire fraud count and 10 years for money laundering.
