Charlotte fraud analyst accused of stealing nearly $1 million in COVID-19 relief funds

CHARLOTTE — A former fraud analyst at Wells Fargo is now accused of fraud after allegedly taking nearly $1 million in a scheme to bilk a COVID-19 relief program, federal authorities tell Channel 9.

The case involves money from the Paycheck Protection Program, which was supposed to go to businesses to pay their employees during the pandemic so the business could survive and avoid layoffs.

Prosecutors in Charlotte say Tamakia Harris is now facing 17 fraud charges in connection with the scheme. Harris was in court on Thursday for a hearing after being indicted.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Harris worked with her boyfriend and an employee of another bank to fraudulently obtain nearly a million dollars by submitting fraudulent PPP loan applications.

“I think, unfortunately, it is pretty prevalent,” said US Attorney Dena King. According to King, 11 people in our area have been charged for PPP fraud.

Federal court documents say Harris would charge between $2,000 and $5,000 for her assistance in filling out false and fraudulent PPP loan applications. She’s also accused of creating counterfeit IRS forms for non-existent businesses and inflating the income for real businesses. According to Harris’ indictment, she submitted more than 30 applications and documents totaling more than $900,000.

The Department of Justice says that Harris and two others also received more than $100,000 in PPP loans that “they were not entitled to receive.”

King says it’s important to pursue these cases to protect taxpayer money and send a statement to others thinking of doing anything similar.

“We want to send a message of deterrence out into the community to any individuals who would be fraudsters who think of this as an easy way to get rich quick‚” King told Channel 9’s Joe Bruno.

Harris was granted a bond for release on Thursday. If convicted, she’s facing up to 20 years in prison for each of the 17 counts.

Harris’ boyfriend, Cedric Lee Benton, is due in court on Friday. He’s accused of submitting two fraudulent PPP loan applications with fake or forged IRS forms.

Another suspect, Shavondra Michelle White, hasn’t been arrested yet.

Harris was listed as a contractor for USAA, but she didn’t work there at the time of the alleged fraud.

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