Date: October 24, 2023 Contact: newsroom@ci.irs.gov Kansas City, MO — Six defendants have been indicted for their roles in a conspiracy that resulted in more than $240,000 in fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans being issued under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. Renetta Golden-Larimore, Tajona Manning, and Tashawn Mayfield all of Kansas City, Mo., Camonte Henderson of Raytown, Mo., Quinniece Smith of Dallas, Texas, and Dannisha Taylor New Orleans, Louisiana, were charged in a seven-count indictment returned under seal by a federal grand jury in Kansas City, Mo., on Wednesday, Oct. 18. That indictment was unsealed and made public today. The federal indictment alleges that each of the six defendants participated in a conspiracy to submit false and fraudulent applications for PPP loans from March 2021 to January 2022. The scheme allegedly caused more than $240,000 in fraudulent PPP loans to be issued to ineligible borrowers, some of which were forgiven even though the funds were not used for the purposes specified in the PPP. According to the indictment, Golden-Larimore prepared and filed fraudulent PPP loan applications on behalf of the other co-conspirators. She allegedly received payments between $2,000 and $7,000 from the loan proceeds for her assistance in filing false and fraudulent PPP loan applications. Golden-Larimore created counterfeit IRS forms for nonexistent businesses, the indictment says, and inflated income for existing businesses in order to qualify the borrower for a PPP loan. Manning, Mayfield, Henderson, Smith, and Taylor each received a PPP loan of $20,832. In addition to the conspiracy, Manning, Mayfield, Henderson, and Taylor each are charged with one count of wire fraud. Smith is also charged with two counts of wire fraud. The indictment also contains forfeiture allegations, which would require Golden-Larimore to forfeit to the government at least $75,833, which represents the proceeds she obtained from the conspiracy, and each of the remaining defendants to forfeit to the government $20,832, which represents the proceeds they obtained from the conspiracy. In a separate case, Golden-Larimore was also charged in an April 26, 2023, federal indictment for her role in a similar conspiracy that resulted in nearly $250,000 in fraudulent PPP loans being issued to a dozen Kansas City metropolitan area residents. The charges contained in this indictment are simply accusations, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charges must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul S. Becker. It was investigated by IRS Criminal Investigation and the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department.
