Two Louisiana residents arrested after IRS investigation into CARES Act funds

Two Louisiana residents were arrested and charged for getting loans under the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, or CARES, with both cases involving around $1.1 million in relief funds.

Michael Ansezell Tolliver of Monroe and Tiera R. Lands of Baton Rouge were both charged following an investigation from the IRS. In 2022, the U.S. Department of Justice set up strike teams to combat and prevent COVID-19-related fraud.

As of April 30, the IRS has investigated 106 tax and money laundering cases in Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana and Mississippi totaling more than $134 million. The CARES Act was passed to fund numerous assistance programs during the COVID-19 pandemic, including the Paycheck Protection Program.

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“Unfortunately, unscrupulous individuals took advantage of the programs intended to help businesses survive the economic crises caused by the pandemic,” said Lisa Fontanette, assistant special agent in charge for the IRS Criminal Investigation Atlanta Field Office. “Numerous convictions over the last two years have proven that those who fraudulently received funds from the PPP and EIDL are enjoying their ill-gotten gains on borrowed time.”

In a release, the IRS said Tolliver was sentenced to 10 years in prison on May 2 for laundering more than $1.1 million in PPP and Economic Injury Disaster Loan funds. Tolliver was also ordered to pay $1.1 million in restitution.

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Lands pleaded guilty to wire fraud and money laundering on May 22, the IRS said in a release, after obtaining more than $1.1 million in PPP and EIDL loans under false pretenses.

“Working with our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners, those individuals and groups who thought they found an easy way to get money are discovering that they were greatly mistaken,” Fontanette said.

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This article originally appeared on Lafayette Daily Advertiser: Two Louisiana residents arrested after IRS investigation