William Powell, a 35-year-old resident of Huntington, West Virginia, was sentenced to six months of home detention followed by three years of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay $15,625 in restitution for conspiracy to commit bank fraud. Powell admitted to receiving $15,625 from a fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan that was guaranteed by the Small Business Administration under the CARES Act.
Court documents show that Kisha Sutton conspired with Powell and others to obtain PPP loans through fraudulent means. On April 19, 2021, Sutton submitted a PPP loan application listing Powell as a sole proprietor hair stylist who had allegedly earned $75,000 in gross income in 2020. The application included an IRS Form 1040, Schedule C, which stated the same amount. However, Powell admitted he never earned this sum and that the form was fabricated solely to secure the loan.
A lender in Florida approved the application and deposited $15,625 into Powell’s personal bank account on June 29, 2021. Between July 6 and July 20 of that year, Powell transferred $2,000 from these proceeds to Sutton using a digital wallet application and used the remainder for personal expenses.
The CARES Act created forgivable PPP loans for qualifying small business owners affected by COVID-19. Applicants were required to certify their operations as of February 15, 2020 and provide documentation showing prior gross income.
Powell and Sutton were among several people indicted on charges related to conspiring and aiding each other in obtaining fraudulent PPP loans totaling $140,625. Sutton, aged 44 from Jersey City, New Jersey, was found guilty on July 15, 2025 of aiding and abetting bank fraud as well as laundering monetary instruments after a two-day federal trial. She is scheduled for sentencing on November 13, 2025. Three other co-defendants have pleaded guilty and await sentencing.
Acting United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston announced the sentence and commended the investigative work conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), West Virginia State Police – Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI), and West Virginia State Auditor’s Office Public Integrity and Fraud Unit (PIFU).
United States District Judge Irene C. Berger handed down the sentence. Assistant United States Attorneys Jonathan T. Storage and Jennifer D. Gordon along with former Assistant United States Attorney Holly Wilson prosecuted the case.
Anyone with information about potential COVID-19 fraud is encouraged to report it via phone or through an online complaint form at https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
Further details can be found on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia or by searching Case No. 2:24-cr-192 on PACER.
