11 Kansas Citians charged in $400,000 COVID fraud scheme 

Eleven people from the Kansas City area have been indicted in a $400,000 COVID fraud conspiracy involving the Paycheck Protection Program.

The alleged fraudsters participated in a scheme to use Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act for businesses that don’t actually exist, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Missouri.

The 11 alleged schemers are:

• Gerri Jackman, 54 

• Gabriel Briones, 32 

• Michael Davis, 31 

• Christopher Jackman, 37 

• John Jackman, 35 

• Antonio O’Field, 35 

• Rashonda Pitts, 46 

• Adrian Smith, also known as Adrian Truth, 39 

• Ayshawn Smith, 39 

• Flora Stevenson, 50 

• Victoria Townsend, 33 

The suspects were charged in a 21-count indictment last week.

Jackman created fake IRS forms for nonexistent businesses and inflated the income of real businesses so they would qualify for PPP loans, according to the press release. The co-conspirators paid Jackman around $2,000 in return for filing the applications on their behalf.

All but one person received two loans of $20,833. One person received loans of $20,833 and $29,166.

Jackman has been charged with 20 counts of wire fraud, and the remaining alleged fraudsters have been charged with aiding and abetting her in two of the wire fraud counts.

If found guilty, they could be required to forfeit to the government any property bought using the loan money.

The federal fraud case is one of several investigated under President Donald Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud.