SAVANNAH, Ga. — A Georgia jury has convicted an attorney for participating in a scheme to illegally obtain COVID-19 funds.
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The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Georgia said Shaquandra Woods, 40, of Jacksonville, Fla. was charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
Officials said Woods, an attorney licensed to practice law in Florida and Georgia, completed at least nine applications for Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) funding for herself and others. Authorities said she submitted fake documents to support the applications.
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The Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act allows the Small Business Administration (SBA) to provide EIDLs to eligible small businesses that experience considerable financial interruptions due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The attorney’s office states that with the fraudulent applications, Woods tried to get almost $800,000 in COVID-19 funding for herself and others. She was able to obtain over $300,000 for herself.
“Conspiring to fraudulently obtain federal pandemic relief funds that are meant to provide assistance to (the) nation’s small businesses is unacceptable,” said SBA-OIG’s Eastern Region Special Agent-in-Charge Amaleka McCall-Brathwaite.
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After a four-day trial, Woods was convicted. She faces a statutory penalty of up to 20 years in prison, along with substantial financial penalties and restitution, followed by a period of supervised release upon completion of any prison term.
U.S. District Court Judge R. Stan Baker will schedule sentencing for Woods upon completion of a pre-sentence investigation by U.S. Probation Services.
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