According to court documents, a woman from Pearl has pleaded guilty to defrauding the COVID-19 Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and obtaining over $1.3 million in federal funds.

Robbie Reese, 46, submitted false Internal Revenue Service tax forms and fraudulent loan documents, claiming reimbursement for payments to nonexistent employees to secure PPP loans. These actions allowed her to illegally obtain significant federal tax rebates and PPP funds to support businesses during the pandemic.

Reese is scheduled to be sentenced on November 7, 2024, and faces a maximum penalty of 10 years. A federal district court judge will determine the sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

U.S. Attorney Todd W. Gee of the Southern District of Mississippi, Supervisory Special Agent Louis Norvell of the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, and Resident Agent in Charge Kyle Smith of the Secret Service made the announcement.

The Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation and the Secret Service are conducting the investigation, with Deputy Criminal Chief Lynn Murray prosecuting the case.

In response to pandemic-related fraud, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force on May 17, 2021. The task force works with various government agencies to enhance efforts to address and prevent fraud. It coordinates resources, shares information, and develops methods to uncover and prosecute fraudulent activities related to pandemic relief.