Acting U.S. Attorney Michael M. Simpson announced that Brandon Jarrow, aka Brandi Jarrow, age 33, of New Orleans, pleaded guilty on May 8, 2025, before U.S. District Judge Jane Triche Milazzo to theft of government funds and to making false statements, related to the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act).
On March 27, 2020, the President of the United States signed into law the CARES Act, which provided emergency assistance, administered by the United States Small Business Administration (SBA), to small business owners affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The two primary sources of funding for small businesses were the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and the Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) program.
According to the charging documents, on or about June 20, 2020, JARROW, on behalf of a business, submitted a false application for a EIDL to the SBA. This resulted in a theft of government funds in the amount of $95,000.
On or about February 4, 2021, Jarrow made false statements to an approved lender for another sham business to obtain a $20,833 PPP loan.
Sentencing will be on August 13, 2025.
At sentencing, Jarrow faces up to five years in prison for the false statement counts. She also faces up to ten years in prison for the theft of government funds count.
All of the counts carry a penalty of up to $250,000 in fines, up to three years of supervised release and a $100 mandatory special assessment fee.
