A Southwest Georgia man was convicted in federal court this week of wire fraud resulting from a pandemic fraud scheme involving family members.
Tyreek Brown, 28, of Pelham faces a maximum of 30 years in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release and a $1 million fine. He will be sentenced at a later date.
Two codefendants in the case – Sherronica Jackson, 38, and Alan Brown, 52, also from Pelham – previously pleaded guilty and will be sentenced on Nov. 12.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Jackson received a U.S. Small Business Administration loan for $20,207 through the federal Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) in March 2021. As part of the application process, she claimed a gross income for 2019 of $97,000, which she did not earn.
Jackson also helped her stepfather, Alan Brown, and her stepbrother, Tyreek Brown, obtain fraudulent PPP loans totaling $20,833. Alan Brown falsely claimed loans for a non-existent contracting business, while Tyreek Brown applied for two loans as sole proprietor of another business that didn’t exist.
After receiving the two loans, he sent Jackson money from a joint account he shared with Alan Brown amounting to $3,000.
“Our office will pursue justice for these types of criminal schemes that deliberately defraud taxpayers,” said William R. “Will” Keyes, U.S. attorney for the Macon-based Middle District of Georgia. “I thank our law enforcement and prosecutorial team for holding those responsible accountable.”
The case was investigated by the Justice Department’s Office of Inspector General as part of its Pandemic Response Accountability Committee Taskforce.
