Former SBA Loan Specialist Found Guilty of Assisting with $800,000 in Loan Fraud – Fraud Friday

October 4, 2024

Delaney Sexton
Contributing Editor

Former SBA Loan Specialist Found Guilty of Assisting with $800,000 in Loan Fraud – Fraud Friday

“This conviction underscores our commitment to holding all wrongdoers accountable, including those in positions of public trust like this former SBA employee,” says Inspector General Hannibal “Mike” Ware. “These crimes are far from victimless, as they financially harm taxpayers and erode public trust in SBA programs. I want to extend my gratitude to the U.S. Attorney’s Office and our law enforcement partners for their unwavering commitment to safeguarding the integrity of federal relief programs and ensuring that the system works for those it was designed to help.”  

In May 2020, Angela Chew began working for the SBA as an SBA loan specialist. In her position, she was able to enter the loan application evaluation system and affect the loan applications. During her short stint at the SBA, she would take advantage of this ability to manipulate the approval process.

She worked with Teresa McIntyre, Nabil Dajani, Joel Greenberg, and others to ensure that their COVID-19 Economic Injury Disaster Loan applications were approved. The loan applications contained false and fraudulent information, and they were often for businesses that were ineligible. When it was time for her co-conspirators to submit another application, they would contact her for her assistance. Then, Chew would go into SBA’s internal processing system to access the application and move it toward approval.

At least six EIDL applications were approved and funded due to Chew’s manipulation of the approval process, resulting in losses of more than $800,000. For her assistance, she was sent $5,300 in bribes using Cash App.

In September, a federal jury found Angela Chew guilty of conspiracy to bribe a public official and commit wire fraud, three counts of bribery of a public official, and six counts of wire fraud. She is scheduled to be sentenced in December 2024.

One of her co-conspirators, Nabil Dajani, was sentenced last year to 6.5 years in prison and $734,500 in restitution for his role in the crimes. He obtained $315,800 from the EIDL fraud scheme.

Sources:
U.S. Attorney’s Office Press Release
Angela Chew Indictment

Read Our Previous Reporting:
Fraud Friday – 6.5 Year Sentence Handed Down After Bribing an SBA Employee in an EIDL Scheme – 8/13/23