Tracie L. Mixon, a 43-year-old resident of Hammond, Louisiana, has been sentenced to two years in prison for making false statements related to the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act). The sentencing was announced by Acting U.S. Attorney Michael M. Simpson on May 27, 2025, following Mixon's guilty plea.
The CARES Act, enacted on March 27, 2020, included several programs to address the COVID-19 pandemic's economic impact. Among these was the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), which provided forgivable loans backed by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) to help small businesses retain employees and cover certain expenses.
Court documents revealed that Mixon submitted false information on an SBA form around February 23, 2021, in order to fraudulently secure a PPP loan. She falsely claimed not to have previous convictions for federal program financial assistance fraud despite having pled guilty in the Eastern District of Virginia to conspiracy involving federal student loan fraud and mail fraud using stolen identities.
In addition to her prison sentence, Mixon has been ordered to pay $31,000 in restitution to both the lending institution and the SBA. She will also face three years of supervised release and must pay a $100 mandatory special assessment fee.
Acting U.S. Attorney Simpson commended the United States Secret Service for their investigation into this case. The prosecution was led by Assistant U.S. Attorney Edward J. Rivera from the Financial Crimes Unit.
For more details on the Department of Justice’s response to COVID-19-related issues or to report attempted fraud involving COVID-19 relief efforts, individuals can visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus or contact the National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline at 866-720-5721.
