Tanisha Wooding, 46, of Huntington, West Virginia, has pleaded guilty to theft of government money in connection with COVID-19 relief fraud. According to court documents and statements made in court, Wooding obtained $91,664 through fraudulent applications for loans under the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program authorized by the CARES Act.
Between July 26, 2020, and June 10, 2021, Wooding submitted four PPP loan applications totaling $81,664. She claimed these loans were for businesses covering payroll and other allowable expenses, listing an insurance agency on two applications, a carpet cleaning business on another, and a tax service on the fourth. Additionally, she received a $10,000 EIDL loan after claiming to employ 10 people at an insurance business.
Wooding admitted during her guilty plea that she did not own or operate any such businesses and had no eligible business expenses or payroll. The funds from these loans were deposited into her personal bank account in West Virginia. She used the proceeds for personal spending through cash withdrawals and digital transfers.
The CARES Act was designed to provide forgivable PPP loans to affected businesses and allowed the Small Business Administration (SBA) to offer EIDL loans to small businesses facing financial disruption due to the pandemic.
Wooding is scheduled for sentencing on December 1, 2025. She faces up to ten years in prison, three years of supervised release, a fine of up to $250,000, and must pay restitution totaling $101,204.31.
Acting United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston announced the plea and commended the investigative efforts of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Office of Inspector General (NASA OIG), a Litigation Financial Analyst from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, and the West Virginia State Police – Bureau of Criminal Investigation.
NASA OIG is part of the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee (PRAC) Fraud Task Force. PRAC was created to oversee federal COVID-19 response spending across agencies by detecting fraud or mismanagement related to over $5 trillion in relief funds distributed through programs like PPP and EIDL. The PRAC’s Pandemic Analytics Center of Excellence provided support using advanced analytics for pandemic relief fraud investigations. More information about PRAC can be found at https://www.pandemicoversight.gov/.
United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers presided over Wooding's hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Andrew J. Tessman is prosecuting the case.
Anyone with information regarding COVID-19 related fraud is encouraged to report it via phone at 866-720-5721 or online at https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
Additional details about this case are available on PACER by searching Case No. 3:25-cr-122.
