Former V.A. Employee Indicted for Covid Fraud

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - A North Carolina woman was indicted by a federal grand jury today for fraudulently obtaining a $20,000 Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.

Lakeysha Day, 43, was charged with one count of wire fraud in an indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Kansas City, Mo. Day was employed at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Columbia, Mo., at the time of the offense.

According to today's indictment, Day applied for a PPP loan for her business on March 20, 2021. The CARES Act established several new temporary programs and provided for the expansion of others to address the COVID-19 pandemic. Among these programs, the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) authorized forgivable loans to small businesses to retain workers and maintain payroll, make mortgage interest payments, lease payments, and utility payments.

Day claimed to be a sole proprietor of a business which had an average monthly payroll of $8,000. The supporting documents she submitted claimed gross receipts or sales of $114,210, business expenses of $14,685 and a profit of $99,525. In reality, however, Day's 2019 personal income tax return did not report income and expenses that were claimed in the loan application.

The indictment also contains a forfeiture allegation, which would require Day to forfeit to the government any property derived from the alleged fraud scheme, including a money judgment of $20,000.

The charge contained in this indictment is simply an accusation, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charge 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 the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of Inspector General.