PITTSBURGH, PA - One resident of Munhall, PA, has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh on charges of wire fraud, Acting United States Attorney Stephen R. Kaufman announced today.
The twelve-count Indictment, returned on Sept. 28, 2021 and unsealed today following her arrest, named Jaime Jones, 45, of Munhall, PA 15120, as the sole defendant.
According to Indictment, from May 2020 to September 2020, Jones filed fraudulent applications on behalf of herself and others for pandemic-relief funding through the Small Business Administration’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan program. As part of these fraudulent applications, Jones made misrepresentations about, among other things, whether particular businesses existed as well as the number of people employed by particular businesses, in an attempt to maximize the funding they received.
The law provides for a maximum total sentence of 20 years in prison, a fine of $250,000 or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant United States Attorney Jeffrey R. Bengel is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The United States Secret Service, the United States Postal Inspection Service, and the Small Business Administration’s Office of the Inspector General conducted the investigation leading to the Indictment in this case.
An indictment is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.