A DeSoto woman was sentenced Wednesday to the federal penitentiary after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud involving COVID-19 relief funds, federal prosecutors said in a news release.
A federal judge ordered Shantelle Hawkins, 43, to serve three years and five months and pay $1.8 million in restitution, according to the release.
The statement from prosecutors said Hawkins must also forfeit the residences she purchased with the relief funds.
Hawkins initially pled guilty on Oct. 8, 2024, officials said in the statement.
According to the news release, the Dallas County woman submitted 17 fraudulent loan applications to obtain funds from the federal government’s Paycheck Protection Program, or PPP, that began during the pandemic.
Officials said the applications were submitted between May 2020 and March 2021 on behalf of companies Hawkins and family members owned or controlled. Officials did not immediately disclose information about other people involved in the case.
PPP loans originated with the Small Business Administration and were created to assist firms that were struggling to cover payroll expenses during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The loan applications submitted by Hawkins contained untrue statements about payroll and tax information, according to the news release.
Officials said Hawkins used the loan proceeds for personal expenses, including paying off her 2015 Maserati Ghibli, purchasing residential properties in the Dallas area and for other personal expenditures.
Officials did not say when Hawkins would begin serving her sentence or where.