23 arrested, charged in East Texas Paycheck Protection Program-related fraud

Anna-Melissa Tribune, The (TX)

Nearly two dozen individuals have been named in a federal indictment charging them with violations in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney Brit Featherston today.

The indictment, returned by a federal grand jury on Jan. 17, 2023, charges the defendants with a money laundering conspiracy. The following 23 defendants appeared before a federal magistrate judge this week: Kendrick Lavell Collins, 42, of Aubrey; Letisha Ann Stover, 41, of Richardson; Spencer Leonard Leigh, 35, of Everman; Danuielle Fowler Edney, 51, of Plano; Diamond Plashette Edwards, 24, of Grand Prairie; Tabitha Lashawn Deberry, 34, of Dallas; Amos Wilson, 56, of Dallas; Andrew Demarcus Penny, 45, of Dallas; Demetrics Devon Black, 31, of Dallas; Jarrick Otishey Buckhanan, 43, of Dallas; Jerica Jareese Matthews, 31, of Anna; John Gantt, 35, of Dallas; Lemar Mashawn Cohen, 36, of Dallas; Chibuike Samuel Iwuh, 30, of The Colony; Cynthia Mechelle Wilson, 55, of Dallas; Dontrell Lamon Amie, 42, of North Richland Hills; Eric Jason Vaughan, 49, of Arlington; Jeremiah Lee Gantt, 28, of Dallas; Joshua Matthew Baham, 27, of Anna; Lesley Odell Brown, 32, of Carrollton; Michael Andrew Studaway, 26, of Dallas; Tamara Dawn Thomas, 41, of Dallas; and Timothy Dwayne Hoston, 44, of Carrollton.

According to the indictment, the defendants are alleged to have conspired to launder the proceeds of wire fraud in order to conceal the nature, location, source and ownership of the money gained by fraud. The indictment further alleges that the conspirators would open bank accounts, use assumed business names, and transfer, withdraw, and move the money and use it for their own purposes. The source of the laundered funds is alleged to include fraud based on business email compromise, romance scams, unemployment insurance fraud, and Payroll Protection Program (PPP) fraud, and is alleged to be more than $3.5 million.

If convicted, the defendants each face up to 20 years in federal prison.

This case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Frisco Resident Agency and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys in the Eastern District of Texas.

A grand jury indictment is not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.