Two former Miami Police Department employees have pleaded guilty to COVID-19 relief fraud and face lengthy prison sentences, authorities said.
Sheana Haslem, 38, pled guilty on March 6 to wire fraud in connection with her fraudulent applications for a Paycheck Protection Program loan and an Economic Injury Disaster Loan advance, according to a Tuesday news release from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida.
Haslem had worked as a staffing specialist for Miami Police.
Prosecutors said that in July 2020, Haslem was employed full-time by MPD when she submitted with an associate a fraudulent EIDL application to the U.S. Small Business administration.
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The application claimed Haslem was an independent contractor and owner of a hair and nail salon business that had 15 employees and gross revenues fo nearly $90,000, prosecutors said.
As a result of the fraudulent application, Haslem received a $10,000 EIDL advance, authorities said.
In February 2021, Haslem submitted a fraudulent PPP loan application claiming to be an independent contractor operating a business with an average monthly payroll of $8,333, prosecutors said.
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Haslem also submitted a fraudulent IRS form claiming she had a security officer business that had a gross income of $102,874, which helped her obtain a $20,832 PPP loan, authorities said.
Haslem faces a maximum of 20 years in prison at sentencing, scheduled for May 28.
A second former Miami Police Department employee, 35-year-old Keandra Carter, also pleaded guilty to wire fraud in connection with a fraudulent application ofr a PPP loan, officials said.
Carter, a former public service aide for MPD, also submitted an application claiming to be the owner of a "hair braider" business with a gross income in 2019 of $1.1 million, prosecutors said.
As a result of the false and fraudulent application, Carter obtained a $20,833 PPP loan, officials said.
Carter also faces up to 20 years in prison at sentencing, scheduled for May 2.
The Paycheck Protection Program involves billions of dollars in forgivable small-business loans for Americans struggling because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The money must be used to pay employees, mortgage interest, rent and utilities. It is part of the coronavirus relief package that became federal law in 2020.
