Plaquemine woman bilked $500K from taxpayers through fraudulent PPP, unemployment claims, feds say

A Plaquemine woman bilked $500,000 from taxpayers by submitting unemployment claims under other people's names found on social media and securing Paycheck Protection Program loans for fake businesses, federal prosecutors say.

A federal grand jury recently handed down an indictment against Lestreonia Rodrigue, 26, charging her with mail fraud and wire fraud, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Louisiana.

Prosecutors say she carried on the scheme for several months before getting caught.

Officials said Rodrigue submitted jobless claims in her name and the names of other people in various states, including California. She also made up fake businesses — lying about their gains and losses — to apply for PPP loans, which were designed to help employers weather pandemic-related shutdowns, according to federal prosecutors.

Read more: https://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/news/courts/article_c23de318-3342-11ec-a202-b777a6ccb7f8.html