Man sentenced to federal prison for COVID-19 fraud scheme
ABERDEEN, MS – Docterance Atkins, 32, was sentenced last week to 37 months imprisonment for Wire Fraud Conspiracy and Money Laundering, the U.S. District Court’s office has reported. Atkins, at a prior date, had pleaded guilty to one count of Wire Fraud, and a separate count of Money Laundering.
The investigation began after IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) received a tip Atkins had committed COVID-19 Fraud. IRS-CI conducted a thorough investigation unveiling Atkins’ scheme. In essence, Atkins recruited unsophisticated individuals in the community, and convinced them to fraudulently apply for CARES Act Relief funds. Overall, Atkins stole nearly $750,000 from the federal government. The Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”) was a COVID-19 pandemic relief program administered by the Small Business Administration that provided forgivable loans to small businesses for job retention and certain other related business expenses. Atkins helped numerous individuals file for and receive fraudulent PPP loans in return for a kickback. The PPP loan applications included false information regarding the number of employees and the extent of the claimed business operations.
U.S. District Court Judge Sharion Aycock sentenced Atkins to 38 months imprisonment. After serving the sentence in federal prison, Atkins will be subject to 5 years of supervised release. The Court ordered restitution to be paid to victims.
“This defendant exploited a national emergency and stole money that was meant to help businesses suffering during the COVID-19 pandemic,” stated U.S. Attorney Scott Leary. “He has been held accountable, and we will recover this money for American taxpayers.”
“Those who defrauded the COVID-19 economic program for small businesses took funds designated to help retain employees and used it for their personal gain,” said Special Agent in Charge Demetrius Hardeman, IRS Criminal Investigation, Atlanta Field Office. “Docterance Atkins sentence sends a strong message that IRS Criminal Investigation special agents and our law enforcement partners will continue searching and investigating the criminals who took advantage of economic programs created to help small businesses and taxpayers.”
The IRS Criminal Investigation Division conducted the investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Sam Stringfellow prosecuted the case.
