Wichita business owner indicted for Covid-era loan fraud

KANSAS CITY, KAN. – A federal grand jury in Kansas City, Kansas, returned an indictment charging a Kansas woman for allegedly submitting fictitious information to the Small Business Administration (SBA) to receive pandemic-era financial assistance.

According to court documents, Christina Marie DeLeon, 42, of Wichita was indicted on two counts of wire fraud.

During the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic, the SBA provided emergency financial assistance for small businesses struggling to cover payroll and other business expenses through the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). In the PPP loan applications, business owners were required to state their average monthly payroll expenses and number of employees. DeLeon was the owner of a company called “Wicks Before Dicks”. In April 2020 and January 2022, DeLeon is accused of knowingly submitting false information about gross sales and the number of employees in order to receive PPP loans for $9,300 and $20,832, and then allegedly submitting false information again to receive loan forgiveness.

The Small Business Administration – Office of Inspector General (SBA-OIG) is investigating the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Oakley is prosecuting the case.

OTHER INDICTMENTSVictor Daniel Gomez-Hernandez, 51, an illegal alien from Mexico, was indicted on one count of unlawful reentry after deportation. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is investigating the case.

Jose Carlos Moreno-Aboytes, 29, an illegal alien from Mexico, was indicted on one count of reentry of a previously removed alien. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is investigating the case.

Jorge Paiva-Suarez, 33, an illegal alien from Venezuela, was indicted on one count of illegal alien in possession of a firearm. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is investigating the case.

Britney L. Smith-Stimach, 38, was indicted on count of felon in possession of a firearm. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) is investigating the case. An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.