Rena Barrett, a former loan officer with the Small Business Administration (SBA), pleaded guilty on August 11, 2025, to making false statements to the SBA related to over $550,000 in fraudulent COVID-19 pandemic loans.
“The Economic Injury Disaster Loan program provided critical relief to small businesses and supported our economy during the COVID-19 pandemic,” said United States Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. “It is intolerable that Barrett—who was entrusted to process loans for desperate small businesses—placed her personal greed ahead of doing her job honestly. With the help of our law enforcement partners, we are committed to rooting out and punishing government employees who betray the public’s trust.”
Barrett joined the SBA in October 2020. In May 2021, she submitted a fraudulent Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) application for $170,000. Although this loan was initially declined by SBA, Barrett later approved it herself in July 2021. The agency subsequently found that Barrett had misused her position by approving not only this loan but also others submitted by herself or relatives. She received nearly half of the total amount she attempted to obtain before resigning from the SBA when her actions were discovered.
“Abusing authority to fraudulently obtain Economic Injury Disaster Loan funds betrays the trust of small businesses relying on critical relief,” said Special Agent-in-Charge Amaleka McCall-Brathwaite of SBA Office of the Inspector General’s Eastern Region. “OIG is committed to protecting taxpayer dollars and ensuring accountability for those who exploit vital programs for personal gain.”
“Government employees who exploit their positions for personal gain betray the public trust and undermine critical programs designed to help those in need,” said Steven N. Schrank, the Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Georgia and Alabama. “HSI remains steadfast in its commitment to working with our partners to hold accountable those who abuse their authority and harm the integrity of pandemic relief efforts.”
In a related case, Sheena Thompson of Conyers, Georgia pleaded guilty on April 15, 2025, admitting she tried to secure more than $150,000 through fraudulent EIDL loans by making false statements to the SBA. Sentencing for Barrett is set for November 12, 2025; Thompson will be sentenced on August 28, 2025.
Separately, Detra Lewis from Atlanta admitted guilt on August 12, 2025 after submitting a false Paycheck Protection Program loan application worth over $1.25 million on behalf of God’s Anointed Youth Ministry. Lewis faces sentencing on November 14, 2025.
The investigations into Barrett and Thompson are being conducted by both Homeland Security Investigations and the SBA Office of Inspector General; Lewis’s case is under investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Assistant United States Attorney Alex R. Sistla is prosecuting all three cases.
To address pandemic-related fraud across agencies since May 17, 2021, the Department of Justice established a COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force aimed at improving coordination among federal agencies and enhancing investigative techniques against fraud schemes (https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus).
Individuals can report suspected COVID-19 fraud attempts through either calling or submitting information online via forms provided by federal authorities (https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form).
For further details about these cases or other matters involving federal prosecution in Northern Georgia visit http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.
