CHARLOTTE, NC (LOOTPRESS) — A sitting member of the Charlotte City Council, Tiawana Brown, 53, has been indicted by a federal grand jury alongside her two daughters in a scheme to fraudulently obtain more than $124,000 in COVID-19 relief funds, federal prosecutors announced Thursday.
Brown and her daughters, Tijema Brown, 30, and Antionette Rouse, 33, all of Charlotte, are charged with wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud. According to the indictment, the trio submitted at least 15 falsified loan applications between April 2020 and September 2021 under the Small Business Administration’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program and the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP).
The applications allegedly included fake tax documents and other false information, with some loans also falsely certified for forgiveness. Prosecutors say the money was spent on personal expenses, including approximately $15,000 on a birthday party for Tiawana Brown.
If convicted, each defendant faces up to 20 years in federal prison per charge.
Brown, a community advocate and recent addition to the Charlotte City Council, is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
The case is being investigated by the FBI in Charlotte and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Warren.
U.S. Attorney Russ Ferguson and FBI Acting Special Agent in Charge James C. Barnacle Jr. made the announcement, highlighting ongoing efforts to hold accountable those who abused pandemic relief programs.
