Court Jails Politician and Her 2 Daughters Over Fraud in US

• A former Charlotte City Councilwoman, Tiawana Brown, and her two daughters pleaded guilty to wire fraud conspiracy involving COVID-19 pandemic relief funds
• The three defendants fraudulently submitted at least 13 loan applications through federal relief programmes, receiving more than $146,665 in total
• US District Judge Kenneth D Bell handed down sentences ranging from prison time to home detention after the funds were spent on personal expenses

A former Charlotte City Councilwoman and her two adult daughters have been sentenced by a US federal judge after pleading guilty to wire fraud conspiracy for fraudulently obtaining more than $146,665 in COVID-19 pandemic relief funds.

The National Fraud Enforcement Division announced the sentences on 23 September 2026, following an FBI investigation in Charlotte and prosecution by Assistant US Attorney Matthew Warren.

Brown and daughters sentenced after COVID fraud scheme

US District Judge Kenneth D. Bell sentenced Tiawana Brown, 55, of Charlotte, to 10 months in prison followed by two years of supervised release. Her daughters, Tijema Brown, 32, and Antionette Rouse, 34, both also of Charlotte, received two years of probation and four months of home detention, respectively.

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All three defendants were additionally ordered to pay restitution to the Small Business Administration totalling $137,280.09. Tiawana Brown agreed to forfeit $22,500 in fraud proceeds and has so far paid $20,833 in restitution. Tijema Brown and Antionette Rouse each agreed to forfeit $51,666 in fraud proceeds.

Court records show the scheme ran between April 2020 and September 2021, during which the defendants submitted fraudulent applications to two federal relief programmes: the Economic Injury Disaster Loan programme and the Paycheck Protection Programme. The applications were made on behalf of purported businesses and included false information, fabricated documentation, and a counterfeit IRS Schedule C form. In total, at least 13 applications were submitted across the two programmes.

Funds spent on personal expenses, including a birthday party

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Rather than directing the loan proceeds towards eligible business costs as required under the terms of the programmes, the defendants channelled the money into personal spending. Among those expenditures was approximately $15,000 spent on a personal birthday party for Tiawana Brown.

In delivering the sentences, Judge Bell offered pointed remarks about the nature of the offence. "These programmes are set up at a time of great desperation for a lot of people," he said, adding that "the public is tired of being ripped off."

The Economic Injury Disaster Loan and Paycheck Protection Programme were both established by the federal government to help small businesses survive the economic disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Misuse of those funds has since become a significant area of federal enforcement, with courts across the United States prosecuting fraudulent claims.

US imposes restrictions on birth tourism facilitators

Earlier, YEN.com.gh reported that the US had announced visa restrictions targeting individuals who facilitate birth tourism.

The policy identified three primary targets: operators of commercial birth tourism networks, visa intermediaries who coach applicants to commit fraud, and foreign medical providers who knowingly assist with such travel arrangements.

Source: YEN.com.gh