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St. Louis County Woman Charged with $20K Covid Relief Fraud

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May 10, 2022 at 3:10 pm
click to enlarge Thomas F. Eagleton U.S. District Court - Via Google Maps
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Thomas F. Eagleton U.S. District Court

Yesterday in federal court, St. Louis County resident Tawonna Ellis was charged with one count of wire fraud for fraudulently applying for and receiving $20,832 through the Paycheck Protection Program for a retail business that does not actually exist.

According to her indictment, in April 2021 Ellis submitted a PPP loan application that stated she ran a "merchandise-retail business" that did $100,000 in gross revenue in 2020.

The indictment states that Ellis "created the fictitious sole proprietorship for the purpose of receiving a PPP loan."

Ellis allegedly spent the loan money on everyday expenses as well as designer clothing.

The case against Ellis is the latest in a string of cases being prosecuted in the district's federal court against individuals accused of defrauding COVID relief-related programs.

More than $7 million of COVID relief–related fraud has either been prosecuted or is working its ways through the courts in the Eastern District of Missouri.
Ryan Krull is a staff writer for the Riverfront Times. Find him on Twitter @ryanwkrull
RFT writers review each profile independently. The editorial team does not handle advertising or affiliate revenue. Our writers neither know how stories are monetized, nor do they receive any commission. Instead, we pay them for their work. We do not engage in pay-for-play and accounts we review do not have input into our final story.
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