ROSWELL, Ga. — A Roswell businesswoman pleaded guilty this week to fraudulently securing more than $6 million in loans through a COVID relief program, the government said.
According to a release by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Georgia, 49-year-old Hunter VanPelt falsified records in requesting nearly $8 million in loans through the Paycheck Protection Program last year.
The U.S. Attorney's Office said VanPelt controlled six companies through which she requested the loans, receiving $6.017 million.
"In each of the PPP loan applications, VanPelt falsely represented the average monthly payroll and the number of employees working for the relevant company. She also submitted false IRS records, false bank statements, and false payroll reports in connection with those applications," the release said.
According to the government, federal agents were able to seize $2.1 million of the money VanPelt received.
Kenneth A. Polite Jr., the assistant attorney general in the Justice Department's Criminal Divison, said VanPelt "brazenly exploited this devastating national emergency for personal gain, and she is now being held accountable for her fraudulent conduct."
“The Paycheck Protection Program helps businesses keep their workforces employed during the COVID-19 crisis,” Acting U.S. Attorney Kurt Erskine said. “When these funds are diverted by fraud, such as in this case, workers and the businesses that employ them unfortunately suffer.”
The U.S. Attorney's Office said VanPelt will be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Mark H. Cohen at a hearing on Jan. 4, 2022.