Former SBA employee in Miami charged with PPP loan fraud

A Miami woman who was employed by the Small Business Administration (SBA) has been slapped with several fraud charges related to the pandemic relief scheme.

Malaina Chapman, 37, of Hialeah, Florida, has been charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, and bank fraud. She made her initial appearance in Miami federal court on July 10.

According to the criminal complaint, Chapman was employed as a Disaster Relief Specialist with the SBA from September 28, 2020, until her resignation on March 18, 2021. During her tenure, Chapman allegedly engaged in multiple schemes to defraud the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program, as well as local credit unions and state programs designed to assist those affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Disaster relief was intended for people in need, not for those who sought to pad their pockets and defraud the government,” stated U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida. “We will continue to hold anyone accountable who exploits and defrauds financial institutions and the government’s pandemic response.”