Gibsland, La. – Shaquaila Lewis, 36, also known as Shaquaila Lewis-Chatman, has been sentenced to two years and three months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for her involvement in a scheme to defraud the Small Business Administration (SBA) and other financial institutions. Restitution will be determined at a later date, acting U.S. Attorney Alexander Van Hook announced on Wednesday.
Lewis, who devised a fraudulent scheme to secure emergency financial assistance during the COVID-19 pandemic, was held accountable for over $1.1 million in losses. She falsified loan applications, forms, and documents to obtain Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) funds.
One key example of her fraudulent actions occurred in February 2021, when she submitted a false PPP application to Square Capital under the name of her business, Perfect Memories Travel. Lewis falsely claimed that the funds, amounting to approximately $20,833, would be used to retain employees and cover payroll expenses. Despite her claims, she used the disbursed loan for personal expenses instead.
The case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Seth D. Reeg and Assistant Chief Justin M. Woodard from the Department of Justice Criminal Division – Fraud Section.
