Fort Worth PPP Loan Fraud Lawyers
You got a PPP loan in 2020. Maybe 2021. The government was practically throwing money at businesses during the pandemic. You filled out the application, got approved, used the funds. Maybe you inflated the numbers a little. Maybe the payroll figures werent exactly right. Years passed. You moved on. You assumed the federal government had moved on too.
It hasnt.
The federal government turned PPP fraud prosecution into an assembly line - and Fort Worth is directly in the crosshairs. The Northern District of Texas has jurisdiction over Tarrant County, and federal prosecutors here have handed down some of the harshest sentences in the country. Tamara Starks of Mansfield: 86 months. Stephanie Hockridge of Blueacorn: 10 years. Steven Jalloul: 10 years. Congress extended the statute of limitations to 10 years - retroactively. That 2020 loan you thought was forgotten? Its prosecutable until 2030. Federal prosecutors in Fort Worth have publicly stated they are playing the "long game" on pandemic fraud enforcement. Through 2030.
Welcome to Spodek Law Group. We handle federal PPP loan fraud defense in Fort Worth and throughout the Northern District of Texas. If you've received a letter from the SBA Office of Inspector General, if federal agents have contacted you, if you're worried about a PPP loan application you submitted years ago - this article explains what you're facing and what options might still exist.
The 10-Year Clock Is Ticking
In August 2022, President Biden signed the PPP and Bank Fraud Enforcement Harmonization Act. Most people missed what it actualy did.
It extended the statute of limitations from 5 years to 10 years. Retroactively.
That means a PPP loan from 2020 is prosecutable until 2030. A loan from 2021 until 2031. The government gave itself a full decade to come for you. And there using every day of it. As of December 2024, the DOJ continues to investigate PPP fraud as a top enforcement priority. The COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force coordinates across FBI, IRS Criminal Investigation, SBA OIG, and the Secret Service. They have strike forces dedicated specificaly to this.
Federal prosecutors in Fort Worth have made public statements about playing the "long game" on pandemic fraud. They are not overwhelmed. They are not moving on. They are systematic, methodical, and patient. The cases being charged today were flagged by algorithm 18 to 24 months ago.
Every PPP loan ever issued is now subject to prosecution for a full decade from the date of the offense.
The SBA Office of Inspector General has recieved more than 250,000 hotline complaints since the pandemic began. From those, there data analytics team identified over 95,000 actionable leads. According to there own congressional testimony, that represents "more than 100 years of investigative case work." As of late 2024, they had hundreds of ongoing investigations in Texas alone. The pipeline is full. Your file may already be in it.
Fort Worth Sentences Are Among the Harshest
The Northern District of Texas covers Fort Worth, Dallas, Amarillo, Lubbock, and Wichita Falls. The Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex received over $8.2 billion in PPP loans during the pandemic. Federal prosecutors here have been among the most aggressive in the country on PPP enforcement.
This is what has happened in recent NDTX PPP fraud cases:
Tamara Starks (Mansfield, January 2025): Sentenced to 86 months in federal prison. She and others submitted more then 100 fraudulent PPP applications totaling $8.5 million. She directed loan recipients to set up fake payrolls through third-party vendors. She recieved kickbacks from each fraudulent loan. Judge Mark Pittman ordered $4,476,523.73 in restitution. Eighty-six months. Thats over seven years in federal prison.
Stephanie Hockridge (Blueacorn, November 2025): Sentenced to 10 years in federal prison. She co-founded Blueacorn in April 2020 to process PPP applications. She and her co-conspirators fabricated payroll records, tax documentation, and bank statements to get larger loans for applicants. The scheme involved over $63 million in fraudulent PPP loans. She was also ordered to pay $63 million in restitution. Ten years.
Steven Jalloul (Dallas area, 2024): Sentenced to 10 years in federal prison. A tax consultant who submitted roughly 170 falsified PPP loan applications seeking more then $23 million on behalf of clients. He was already serving time at FCI-Seagoville for tax fraud. The judge ordered his PPP sentence to run consecutive - meaning he serves the full 10 years after completing his other sentence.
Thelma Anderson (Dallas County, pending): A former assistant district attorney indicted for $20,817 in PPP fraud. She allegedly misrepresented her LLCs payroll expenses and submitted fake IRS forms. Used the money for rent, food, and entertainment. Even prosecutors get prosecuted.
The pattern is clear. And if your thinking that these are all large cases, that small amounts dont get prosecuted - a Cincinnati defendant got 18 months in federal prison for $21,000 in PPP fraud in March 2025. The amount dosent protect you.
Defendants sentenced in 2024-2025 are recieving sentences approximately 40% longer than defendants who committed identical conduct but were sentenced in 2021-2022. Early pandemic leniency is completley over. Federal judges in 2025 include prison time in nearly every PPP fraud sentencing. Regardless of the amount involved.
The Window You Dont Know About
Heres something most people dont understand about PPP investigations.
Theres a window - typically six to twelve months - between when the SBA OIG flags your loan and when the case gets referred to the FBI for criminal investigation. During this window, there is leverage that completley disappears once criminal charges are filed.
During the OIG review stage, a skilled defense attorney may be able to negotiate a civil disposition. Repayment plus a fine. Maybe a False Claims Act settlement. Not pleasant - but not a federal felony conviction either. Not prison. Not a criminal record that follows you forever.
Once the case gets referred to the FBI and DOJ, criminal prosecution is almost guaranteed. The leverage evaporates. Your options narrow dramatically. The government has already decided your going to trial or your pleading guilty.
But heres the trap most people fall into.
Some people, panicking, decide to voluntarily repay the loan thinking it will make the problem go away. The DOJ has explicitly stated that voluntary repayment can be used as evidence of consciousness of guilt. Returning the money dosent make it go away. It can actualy strengthen the governments case against you. "Why did they pay it back if they didnt know it was fraudulent?"
This is why timing matters. This is why counsel matters.
"But my loan was only $30,000. They wont come after small amounts."
A Cincinnati defendant got 18 months for $21,000. Thelma Anderson, a former Dallas County prosecutor, was indicted for $20,817. The amount dosent protect you. The timing does. And the timing window is closing.
What to Do Right Now
The single most important rule:
Never agree to discuss a potential PPP fraud case with a federal agent without a lawyer present.
This sounds obvious. But there have been several recent cases where people who decided to talk to investigators without counsel ended up being charged with obstruction or making false statements to federal agents - in addition to the underlying PPP fraud. The agents seem friendly. Cooperative. They are not on your side.
One PPP application can trigger multiple federal charges:
- Wire Fraud (18 U.S.C. § 1343) - 20 to 30 years
- Bank Fraud (18 U.S.C. § 1344) - 30 years
- False Statements to SBA (18 U.S.C. § 1014) - 30 years
- Money Laundering (18 U.S.C. § 1956) - 20 years
- Aggravated Identity Theft (18 U.S.C. § 1028A) - mandatory +2 years consecutive
Theoretical exposure can exceed 100 years. In practice, sentences dont reach that level. But charge stacking gives prosecutors enormous leverage in plea negotiations. The more charges they can stack, the more pressure they can apply.
If you're under investigation or concerned you might be:
- Dont destroy any documents. Document destruction can become obstruction - a separate federal charge.
- Dont discuss the matter with others who may be involved. Those conversations can become evidence.
- Dont make voluntary payments to the SBA without counsel. This can be used as consciousness of guilt.
- Contact a federal defense attorney immediately. The earlier you act, the more options exist.
Todd Spodek has handled PPP fraud cases in the Northern District of Texas. He understands the difference between OIG-stage investigations where civil resolution may still be possible, and FBI-stage investigations where criminal defense becomes the priority.
When Youre Ready
If you're in Fort Worth - or anywhere in Tarrant County, Dallas, or the surrounding areas - and you're facing a PPP loan fraud investigation, Spodek Law Group can help you understand where you stand and what options exist.
The consultation is free. Theres no obligation.
What you'll get is an honest assessment. Is this still at the OIG stage where civil resolution might be possible? Has it been referred to the FBI? What does the evidence look like? What are realistic outcomes based on how these cases actually play out in the Northern District of Texas? Not best-case fantasies - actual possibilities given NDTX sentencing patterns.
Call us at 212-300-5196. The statute of limitations runs until 2030 or 2031 depending on when you got the loan. The government has time. But once they move, things happen fast. The earlier you have counsel, the more leverage exists.
Dont wait until federal agents show up at your door.
Were here when you need us.
