SPOKANE, Wash. — A federal grand jury has indicted Taylor Jashaun Kendall, 26, of Spokane, and Michael Tyriq Allen, 26, of Gainesville, Georgia, on 12 counts of fraud related to COVID-19 relief programs, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Washington announced today.
The indictment alleges that Kendall and Allen orchestrated a scheme to fraudulently obtain COVID-19 relief funds, primarily through the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) and Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), designed to assist businesses impacted by the pandemic. Both men are former U.S. Air Force airmen, with Kendall stationed at Fairchild Air Force Base during the alleged offenses.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, between June 2020 and May 2021, the duo obtained at least $300,000 in fraudulent relief funding. The men are accused of submitting false information in their EIDL applications between June 18 and June 24, 2020. In these submissions, they falsely claimed to operate an agriculture business, employed 10 workers, and generated $4,625 in monthly revenue. Two of the three EIDL applications were approved, disbursing $20,000 in funds.
Later, in March 2021, Kendall and Allen allegedly submitted two separate PPP loan applications with similarly false claims. In April 2021, they filed a Second Draw PPP application. All three applications were approved, resulting in over $61,000 in PPP loans being disbursed.
The indictment also accuses Kendall and Allen of submitting fraudulent EIDL and PPP applications on behalf of others, using false information to secure additional funds. Some of the individuals who received funding are said to have returned a portion of the disbursed funds to Kendall and Allen.
In total, Kendall and Allen are accused of obtaining at least $80,000 in EIDL advances and $269,900 in PPP loans through fraudulent means.
“COVID-19 relief programs were designed to provide support to those who needed it most during the crisis,” said U.S. Attorney Vanessa R. Waldref. “Unfortunately, some exploited these programs, preventing deserving businesses from receiving crucial funding to stay afloat during the pandemic. We created the COVID Fraud Strike Force to hold those responsible accountable and protect the integrity of our small business community.”
Both Kendall and Allen face serious charges that could result in significant legal consequences.