Michelle Denise McIntyre, 34, of Tallassee, received a sentence of 114 months in prison after pleading guilty to wire fraud and money laundering charges related to grants received through the Restaurant Revitalization Fund program, according to United States Attorney Kevin Davidson. According to a press release from the United States Department of Justice, McIntyre will be on supervised release for three years following her prison sentence. Federal inmates are not eligible for parole.
The Restaurant Revitalization Fund, which was directly administered by the Small Business Administration, was established in March 2021 by the American Rescue Plan Act. The RRF was a financial assistance program designed to provide eligible restaurants with funding equal to their COVID-19 pandemic-related revenue losses, the release states. RRF recipients were not required to repay the funding if used for eligible expenses.
The release states according to her plea agreement, McIntyre admitted that in May 2021, she applied for RRF grants, falsely claiming she began operating a catering business on Dec. 16, 2019. In the application, McIntyre included false receipts and documents purporting to show food orders for the business, the release states. McIntyre’s false representations in her application and supporting documents caused the SBA to award her grants totaling $131,478.76. Court documents indicate McIntyre did not use the funds for eligible expenses. Instead, McIntyre used the illegal proceeds to purchase a vehicle, among other unauthorized personal expenses.
According to court records and statements made during her sentencing hearing, McIntyre was also responsible for fraudulently applying for Paycheck Protection Program Loans, Economic Injury Disaster Loans and Advances and additional RRF money on behalf of herself and others. All these funds were intended to help struggling small businesses amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. McIntyre operated a business where she charged up-front fees to file pandemic relief applications on others’ behalf, regardless of their eligibility. In total, McIntyre caused losses to the Small Business Administration exceeding $700,000, the release states; and if all of her false applications had been funded, the SBA would have suffered additional losses exceeding $14 million. Restitution will be determined at a later date.
“Fraud committed against federal programs is fraud against the American taxpayer,” Davidson said in the release. “I commend the investigative agencies for their diligent work in this case. My office will continue to do its part in prosecuting those who seek easy profit at the expense of every hard-working United States citizen.”
