Tanisha Wooding, a 46-year-old resident of Huntington, West Virginia, pleaded guilty to theft of government money related to COVID-19 relief fraud. Wooding admitted in court to fraudulently obtaining $91,664 in loans guaranteed by the Small Business Administration (SBA) under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.
According to statements made in court and court documents, between July 26, 2020, and June 10, 2021, Wooding submitted false applications for both the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program. She received four PPP loans totaling $81,664 by claiming they were for payroll and other business expenses. The applications listed an insurance agency on two occasions, a carpet cleaning business on another, and a tax service on the fourth application. Additionally, she obtained a $10,000 EIDL loan after stating she owned an insurance business with ten employees.
Wooding acknowledged during her plea that she did not own or operate any businesses as claimed on her loan applications. She also admitted that none of the funds were used for legitimate business purposes; instead, they were deposited into her personal bank account in West Virginia and spent through cash withdrawals and digital payment transfers.
The CARES Act was created to help eligible businesses affected by the pandemic through forgivable PPP loans and authorized SBA EIDL loans for small businesses facing financial disruption.
Wooding is scheduled for sentencing on December 1, 2025. She faces up to ten years in prison, three years of supervised release, a $250,000 fine, and owes $101,204.31 in restitution.
Acting United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston stated: “Acting United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Office of Inspector General (NASA OIG), the Litigation Financial Analyst with the U.S. Attorney’s Office, and the West Virginia State Police – Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI).”
NASA OIG participated as part of the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee (PRAC) Fraud Task Force—a group established to increase transparency over federal COVID-19 spending oversight efforts exceeding five trillion dollars through programs like PPP and EIDL. The PRAC’s Pandemic Analytics Center of Excellence contributed data analysis support to this investigation.
United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers presided over Wooding’s hearing while Assistant United States Attorney Andrew J. Tessman prosecuted the case.
The Department of Justice encourages anyone with information about COVID-19-related fraud to report it via its National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline at 866-720-5721 or online at https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
Further details about this case can be found on PACER by searching Case No. 3:25-cr-122.
