Five Indicted in Rockford for Over $1 Million in Federal COVID Relief Fraud

ROCKFORD — A federal grand jury has indicted five individuals for allegedly defrauding federal COVID-19 relief programs of more than $1 million. The charges include 34 counts of mail and wire fraud against 32-year-old Tyesha Bowman of Beloit, Wis.; 14 counts of wire fraud against 48-year-old Libra Martin of Rockford; 8 counts of mail and wire fraud against 38-year-old Lamont Foster of Rockford; 2 counts of mail fraud against 31-year-old Khadijah Brown of Rockford; and 1 count of mail fraud against 36-year-old Sieta Carrington of Rockford. The indictment alleges they submitted false applications for funds under the Paycheck Protection Program, Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program, and Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, all created under the CARES Act. The investigation was led by federal inspectors general from the Departments of Labor and Small Business Administration.