ATLANTA — A Georgia woman has been sentenced to prison for her part in a scheme using fictitious trucking companies to steal federal COVID-19 aid.
Dereen Porch was sentenced on June 14 by the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Georgia to 21 months of incarceration and three years of supervised release as well as being ordered to pay $230,300 in restitution and $200 special assessment, according to a news release from the court.
Porch pleaded guilty in November 2021 to two counts of wire fraud.
An investigation found that Porch submitted loan applications to the Small Business Administration on behalf of fictitious trucking companies in an attempt to steal approximately $364,200 in Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act funds.
The Department of Transportation-Office of Inspector General conducted the investigation with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Internal Revenue Service and Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration.
Her husband, Curtis Porch, pleaded guilty in the same court to one count of theft of government property and fraudulent pretenses when submitting loan/grant applications related to the CARES Act on behalf of sham transportation companies in an attempt to steal approximately $133,00 from the Small Business Administration.
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