Jacksonville PPP Loan Fraud Lawyers
You got a PPP loan in 2020. Maybe 2021. Everyone did - the government was practically throwing money at businesses during COVID. You filled out the application, got approved, used the funds. Maybe you got forgiveness. Years passed. You moved on. You assumed the federal government had moved on too.
It hasn't.
The federal government turned PPP loan fraud prosecution into an assembly line - and Jacksonville is directly in the crosshairs. The Middle District of Florida COVID-19 Task Force has already prosecuted 109 defendants for pandemic relief fraud. Congress extended the statute of limitations to 10 years. That 2020 loan you thought everyone forgot? It's prosecutable until 2030. And sentences in 2025 are running 40% longer than two years ago for identical conduct.
Welcome to Spodek Law Group. We handle federal PPP loan fraud defense in Jacksonville and throughout the Middle District of Florida. If you're under investigation, if you've received a letter from the SBA Office of Inspector General, or if federal agents have contacted you - this article explains exactly what your facing and what options still exist.
Congress Gave Them a Decade to Come For You
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. And heres the part that catches people off guard: the clock doesn't start from when you received the loan. It starts from your last fraudulent act related to that loan. For most people, that's the forgiveness application you submitted in 2021 or 2022 - which pushes your exposure even further into the future.
The government gave itself a full decade. Courts have upheld the retroactive extension. Defendants have challenged it, arguing you can't change the rules after the conduct occurred. Those challenges have failed. Every single one. As long as the original limitations period hadn't expired when Congress passed the extension, their within the law to extend it.
Every PPP loan ever issued is now subject to federal prosecution for a full decade from the date of the last fraudulent act. That 2020 loan you thought was ancient history? If you filed for forgiveness in 2021, its prosecutable until 2031.
The Middle District Machine: 109 Defendants and Counting
The Middle District of Florida COVID-19 Task Force formed in March 2020. What started as a response to emerging fraud has become one of the most aggressive prosecution operations in the country.
According to DOJ press releases, here's were the Task Force stands now:
- 109 defendants prosecuted for pandemic relief fraud
- 74 already found guilty
- Over $96 million in attempted fraud
- More than $20 million forfeited
- $18 million+ additional funds seized pending forfeiture
And it's not slowing down. The median time from initial referral to indictment has decreased by 45% compared to 2022-2023. What used to take 8-12 months now takes 4-6 months. There getting faster.
Jacksonville cases that have already been prosecuted:
- Carnisha Maurica Rogers (Jacksonville, November 2025): 36 months federal prison for $20,832 PPP fraud. She claimed her business existed. It didn't. $108,867.63 restitution.
- Jared Dean Eakes (Jacksonville, 2024): Charged with wire fraud and bank fraud for $4,752,270 in PPP loans. Faces up to 50 years. Agreed to forfeit $7,489,732.
- Crystal Denean Harvell (Jacksonville, March 2025): 24 months federal prison for conspiracy and wire fraud involving PPP. $131,782.63 restitution.
- Christopher Leo Daragjati (Middleburg area): 60 months federal prison. Used stolen Social Security numbers for PPP forgiveness applications. $363,099 restitution.
These aren't hypothetical. These are your neighbors. People who thought they got away with it.
$20,832 Got Her 36 Months
But surely the government only goes after the big cases, right? The million-dollar frauds. The people who bought Bentleys and mansions with PPP money.
Look at Carnisha Rogers again. $20,832. Thats it. Less than most peoples annual car payments. And she's spending three years in federal prison for it.
She submitted a PPP loan application to an SBA-authorized lender in May 2021. The application claimed she operated her own business. In truth, the business didn't exist. Her application was approved and she recieved a PPP loan totaling $20,832. In November 2025, U.S. District Judge Wendy W. Berger sentenced her to 36 months.
The amount doesn't protect you. It dosent matter if you took $20,000 or $200,000. Federal sentencing guidelines under USSG 2B1.1 use the greater of "actual loss" or "intended loss." And judges in 2025 are including prison time in nearly every PPP sentencing regardless of amount.
Defendants sentenced in 2024-2025 are recieving sentences aproximately 40% longer than defendants who committed identical conduct but were sentenced in 2021-2022. The early pandemic leniency that some judges showed? The chaos defense, the desperation argument? Completly over. Federal judges have heard it all. There not sympathetic anymore.
If $20,832 gets 36 months, what does that mean for someone who got $50,000? $100,000?
The Window Nobody Tells You About
Here's something most people don't understand about PPP investigations.
There's a window - typically 4 to 6 months now - between when the SBA Office of Inspector General flags a 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 federal 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.
Once the FBI takes the case, that window closes. Your in criminal defense mode. Plea negotiations. Trial preparation. Sentencing mitigation. The civil resolution option is gone.
But here's were people destroy themselves:
Talking to investigators without a lawyer. There have been several recent cases where people who decided to talk 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. There not on your side.
Making voluntary payments. The DOJ has explicitly stated that voluntary repayment can be used as evidence of consciousness of guilt. You think your making it right. There building there case with your payment.
If your under investigation or concerned you might be:
- Don't destroy any documents. Document destruction can become a separate federal charge.
- Don't discuss the matter with others who may be involved. Those conversations can be used against you.
- Don't make voluntary payments to the SBA without counsel. This can be used as consciousness of guilt.
- Don't talk to federal agents without a lawyer present. Ever.
- Contact a federal defense attorney immediately. The earlier you act, the more options exist.
Todd Spodek understands the Middle District of Florida. He understands the difference between OIG-stage investigations where civil resolution may still be possible, and FBI-stage investigations where criminal defense is the priority. That distinction matters enormously for your future.
When Your Ready
If you're in Jacksonville - or anywhere in the Middle District of Florida - 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. Theirs 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 - not best-case fantasies, but actual possibilities based on how these cases play out in the Middle District?
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 - investigation-to-indictment is down to 4-6 months now. The earlier you have counsel, the more leverage exists.
Don't wait until federal agents knock on your door.
Were here when you need us.
