Former SBA and IRS employee charged with using government positions to steal millions from COVID relief programs

ATLANTA – Attallah Williams has been charged with a muti-year scheme to steal over $3.5 million from four separate COVID-19 emergency relief programs by obtaining employment at both the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and wrongfully approving fraudulent applications in exchange for bribes and kickbacks. She allegedly recruited participants into her scheme through advertisements and direct messages on Instagram that highlighted her insider access to the programs and by promising referral payments to conspirators who recruited additional people into the scheme. “Williams allegedly exploited her federal employment, stole millions of dollars from generous government programs, and brazenly recruited other participants through social media advertisements,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. “This prosecution is yet another example of this office’s commitment to hold accountable those who abused their government positions or stole from pandemic relief programs.” “Using a position of public trust as a means to fraudulently grant access to federal programs for personal gain will not be tolerated,” said SBA Office of the Inspector General’s Eastern Region Special Agent in Charge Amaleka McCall-Brathwaite. “Our Office will remain relentless in the pursuit of fraudsters who seek to exploit SBA’s vital economic programs. I want to thank the U.S. Attorney’s Office and our law enforcement partners for their dedication and commitment to seeing justice served.” “This defendant is accused of exploiting trusted positions inside the federal government to steal millions of dollars meant to keep struggling businesses afloat during a national crisis,” said Paul Brown, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “The FBI will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to identify, investigate, and hold accountable anyone who abuses public trust and defrauds critical government programs for personal gain.” “Attallah Williams allegedly obtained positions of trust for the purpose of defrauding the U.S. government of COVID-19 economic relief funds,” said Special Agent in Charge Demetrius Hardeman, IRS Criminal Investigation, Atlanta Field Office. “IRS Criminal Investigation special agents and our law enforcement partners continue initiating new investigations and forwarding for prosecution people who diverted COVID-19 relief money for their personal gain at the expense of businesses that needed those funds to keep workers employed.” “The DeKalb County District Attorney’s Office works diligently with its federal law enforcement partners to root out bad actors within the government in order to maintain public trust in our institutions,” said DeKalb County District Attorney Sherry Boston. “Defendant Williams is accused of a bold scheme to embed herself in agencies responsible for the distribution of funds, steal millions of dollars from pandemic relief programs, and recruit others to participate in the deception. This violation of public trust and government funds will not be tolerated.” According to U.S. Attorney Hertzberg, the charges, and other information presented in court: Williams allegedly orchestrated a three-year scheme to fraudulently obtain funds from four separate emergency pandemic relief programs: First, Williams submitted fraudulent applications to the SBA to obtain Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) in the names of businesses that were not operational. Second, Williams submitted a fraudulent application for a Paycheck Protection Program loan, guaranteed by the SBA, for a business that was not operational. Third, Williams obtained a position as a loan officer with the SBA, enabling her to use her insider access to wrongly approve applications to the EIDL Advance grant program. Williams then advertised on Instagram to recruit accomplices who, under her instructions, submitted fraudulent applications using the names of nonexistent or ineligible businesses. Williams, using her position at the SBA, improperly approved those applications in exchange for a share of the proceeds. Williams then encouraged her conspirators to recruit additional participants, promising them referral fees for every person brought into the scheme. Fourth, Williams left the SBA and obtained a position as a tax examining technician at the IRS. Williams again advertised on social media to recruit accomplices who, under her instructions and with her assistance, submitted fraudulent tax documents to the IRS to claim payments under the Employee Retention Tax Credit program with Williams receiving a fee for each application. In total, Williams submitted false claims for more than $3.5 million of pandemic emergency assistance funds intended to help struggling businesses. Attallah Williams, 32, of Hampton, Georgia, was arraigned before U.S. Magistrate Judge J. Elizabeth McBath on a criminal information containing a federal charge of conspiracy to defraud the government with respect to claims. Members of the public are reminded that the criminal information only contains charges. The defendant is presumed innocent of the charge, and it will be the government’s burden to prove the defendant’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial. This case is being investigated by the U.S. Small Business Administration – Office of Inspector General, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Internal Revenue Service, and U.S. Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, with valuable assistance from the DeKalb County District Attorney’s Office.