Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said that a woman from Ann Arbor has pleaded guilty to getting Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans without permission.
Yulonda Eckel, who is 56 years old, admitted that she got two PPP loans by lying about running a business that made more than $100,000 a year, when there was no such business.
Eckel lied about her finances, and it turned out that she did not really own the sole proprietorship she said she did.
She plead guilty to two counts of False Pretenses ($1,000 to $20,000 each) and one count of Making or Allowing a False Tax Return.
According to the office of Michigan’s Attorney General, Eckel has agreed to pay back $47,660. She had already paid $25,827 before her plea.
“Funds from government programs meant to help small businesses shouldn’t be stolen by individuals for their own gain,” Nessel said, praising the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General’s work as a key part of getting Eckel’s guilty plea.
According to a press release from Michigan’s Attorney General’s office, Nessel reaffirmed that her department would protect taxpayer money and government aid.
Eckel will be sentenced on January 16, 2025, in the 22nd Circuit Court in Washtenaw County. Judge Arianne Slay will be in charge of the hearing.
The case’s outcome should put an end to her dishonest attempt to steal government emergency funds meant to help small businesses during a very bad economic time.
