2 Long Island IRS Workers Scammed Feds Out Of Thousands In Covid-19 Funds: DA

RIVERSIDE, NY — Two IRS employees were busted for bilking the Small Business Administration out of thousands of dollars in Covid-19 aid in separate incidents, Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney said Friday.

Tina White, 36, of Bellport, and Shawana Williams, 45, of Centereach, each pleaded guilty to unlawfully receiving thousands of dollars for filing separate, fraudulent Small Business Administration loan applications, according to Tierney.

“At a time where people were falling ill to COVID-19 and struggling financially, these two U.S. government employees abused a system designed to assist small businesses in order to line their
own pockets,” Tierney said. “I want to thank the United States Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration for working with my office to investigate and prosecute those who would steal taxpayer."

The pair were employed at the IRS's Holtsville location.

Patch has reached out to the IRS for comment.

On May 7, 2020, and July 6, 2020, White and Williams each filed COVID-19 Economic Injury Disaster Loan applications with the Small Business Administration in which they each claimed to be the owners of businesses in need of financial assistance due to the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, prosecutors said.

White claimed to be the chief operating officer of an agricultural business, and Williams claimed

to be the chief operating officer of a medical services business but neither business existed, according to prosecutors.

White received $6,000 and Williams received $4,000 as initial cash advancements while their respective loan applications were being processed, prosecutors said.

Both loan applications were ultimately denied, but White and Williams never returned the money they "unlawfully received," according to prosecutors.

On Dec. 21, 2023, Tina White pleaded guilty to petty larceny, a misdemeanor, and paid restitution in the amount of $6,000, and was sentenced to a conditional discharge, prosecutors said.

On Feb. 23, Shawana Williams pleaded guilty to second-degree falsifying business records and petty larceny, both misdemeanors, and paid restitution in the amount of $4,000, and was sentenced to a conditional discharge, according to prosecutors.

Their attorney, Michael Brown of Central Islip, did not respond to a request for comment on Monday.