CHARLESTON, WV (LOOTPRESS) – A Charleston woman has pleaded guilty to her role in a scheme involving fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans.
Shamiese Wright, 32, admitted in federal court to aiding and abetting monetary laundering after receiving over $15,000 from a fraudulently obtained PPP loan during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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According to court documents, co-defendant Kisha Sutton submitted a PPP loan application on Wright’s behalf on April 19, 2021.
The application falsely claimed Wright was self-employed and had earned $75,000 in 2020. The documentation included a fraudulent IRS Form 1040, created solely to obtain the loan.
Wright admitted she was never self-employed and had never earned the income stated in the application.
A Florida lender approved the loan, and $15,625 was deposited into Wright’s Charleston bank account on May 7, 2021.
Wright later transferred $3,000 of the funds to Sutton as payment for facilitating the scheme, using misleading descriptions in an attempt to conceal the transactions. The remainder of the money was spent on personal expenses.
Wright is one of several individuals indicted in connection with the case. Prosecutors say the group conspired to obtain over $140,000 in fraudulent PPP loans.
Wright is scheduled to be sentenced on October 29, 2025, and faces up to 20 years in prison, a $500,000 fine, and up to three years of supervised release. She may also be ordered to pay up to $18,736.73 in restitution.
Co-defendants include Sutton, 44, of Jersey City, New Jersey; William Powell, 35, of Huntington; Damisha Brown, 32, of Charleston; and Jasmine Spencer, 32, of Charleston. All have pleaded guilty and are awaiting sentencing.
The case was investigated by the FBI, the West Virginia State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation, and the State Auditor’s Office Public Integrity and Fraud Unit.
