Tarrant County PPP Loan Fraud Lawyers

Tarrant County PPP Loan Fraud Lawyers

Welcome to Spodek Law Group. We handle federal PPP loan fraud cases across Texas, including Tarrant County and the Fort Worth Division of the Northern District of Texas. Our goal is to protect your rights, your freedom, and your future when federal prosecutors come calling about pandemic relief funds you received years ago.

If you took out a PPP loan in 2020 and thought the statute of limitations would protect you by now, you’re wrong. The bank fraud statute extends through 2030. Federal prosecutors are actively filing new charges in 2025 for loans obtained five years ago. This isn’t old news. This is your reality.

The Northern District of Texas has become ground zero for PPP fraud prosecutions. Fort Worth federal judges have sentenced business owners, professionals, and even other judges to prison. The sentences are getting longer, not shorter. And the government shows no signs of slowing down.

The Fort Worth Federal Courthouse Reality

Heres the thing about Tarrant County PPP fraud cases that nobody tells you. The Northern District of Texas handles some of the largest pandemic fraud prosecutions in the country. And the sentences coming out of Fort Worth right now are absolutley devastating.

In November 2025, Stephanie Hockridge was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for her role in a $63 million PPP fraud scheme. Ten years. Thats not a typo. A former TV news anchor who co-founded a company called Blueacorn is now headed to Federal Prison Camp Bryan – the same facility that houses Elizabeth Holmes and Ghislaine Maxwell.

Let that sink in for a second. A woman who used to report on crime for ABC15 is now a federal inmate serving a decade behind bars. She was also ordered to pay $63 million in restitution. Thats a number shes going to be paying back for the rest of her life.

The restitution order is joint and several with her co-defendants. That means the government can collect from any of them. If her husband cant pay, they come after her. If her co-conspirators are broke, shes on the hook for the full amount. This isnt just a prison sentence. Its a financial death sentence that follows her forever.

How the Blueacorn Scheme Worked

Hockridge and her co-conspirators created something called “VIPPP” – a personalized service to help borrowers get PPP loans. Sounds helpful, right? Except here’s were it all went wrong. They wasnt just helping people fill out applications. They was fabricating payroll records, tax documents, and bank statements to inflate loan amounts.

They recruited referral agents to coach borrowers on how to submit false applications. Think about that for a moment. An entire infrastructure dedicated to teaching people how to lie to the federal government. And when you participated in that infrastructure – even if you didnt know the full scope of what was happening – your now connected to a $63 million conspiracy.

The court didnt care that Hockridge was acquitted on four counts of wire fraud. One conspiracy count was enough. One count got her 10 years. The jury found the evidence of conspiracy so overwhelmeing that they convicted despite having reasonable doubt on the specific wire fraud charges.

Heres something else that matters. Blueacorn processed loans for borrowers across the country. If you used Blueacorn to get your PPP loan, your application is in federal databases. The government knows exactly who applied through that platform. Some of those borrowers are already being contacted by investigators. Others havnt heard anything yet. But the records exist. The trail leads somewhere.

Local Cases That Should Terrify You

Its not just the big cases. A Mansfield businesswoman named Tamara Starks was sentenced to 86 months – thats over seven years – for submitting fraudulent PPP applications. She filed more than 100 applications with false payroll information. Out of $8.5 million in applications, she recieved about $4.5 million.

Now shes paying $4.4 million in restitution and spending the next seven years in federal prison. Judge Mark Pittman didnt show mercy. These judges have seen too many of these cases to be sympatheic anymore. Every excuse has been tried. Every explanation has been offered. Judges are tired of hearing “I didnt understand the rules” from people who clearly knew what they was doing.

But heres the case that really gets me. Thelma Anderson, a substitute municipal judge in Fort Worth, is facing federal charges for PPP fraud. A judge. Someone whose job was to uphold the law is now looking at up to 30 years in federal prison.

She got a $20,000 PPP loan in February 2020 for her clothing boutique. Then applied for forgiveness claiming $16,400 in payroll expenses. The problem? The business had no actual payroll. Zero employees. She used the money for rent, food, and entertainment.

The Fort Worth City Council removed her from her position in June 2024. Her case is still pending. If your thinking “at least she was a judge, she probly gets special treatment” – your completley wrong. Judges get prosecuted like everyone else. Sometimes harder, because the government wants to make an example. A judge commiting fraud undermines public trust in the entire system. Prosecutors take that personaly.

What Triggers a PPP Fraud Investigation in Tarrant County

Heres something people dont realize. The government isnt randomly auditing loans. Theyre using data analytics, cross-referencing tax records, and following tips from disgruntled employees, ex-spouses, and business partners.

The seven members of the Jackson family in Dallas all pled guilty in June 2025. Every single one of them. Lori Jackson, Saidrick Jackson, their children, extended family – all admitted to recieving federal funds for businesses that didnt exist. You think the government figured that out by accident? Someone talked. Maybe it was a neighbor who noticed the new cars. Maybe it was a family member who got cut out of the scheme. Maybe it was someone they trusted who decided to cooperate.

If your involved in a scheme with other people, understand this: someone will flip. Its not a matter of if. Its when. The first person to cooperate gets the best deal. Everyone else gets the hammer.

The SBA Office of Inspector General has been activley working with IRS Criminal Investigation and the FBI. They have access to banking records, tax filings, SBA loan applications, and payroll data. When your PPP application claims you had 20 employees making $50,000 each, and your 2019 tax return shows zero employees, that discrepency is automaticaly flagged.

The Timeline Nobody Explains

OK so heres how these investigations actualy work in practice. The SBA Office of Inspector General identifies suspicious applications through computer algorithms. Maybe your loan amount dosent match your reported income. Maybe your business address is a residential home. Maybe you claimed 10 employees but your tax records show you as a sole proprietor.

They refer it to the Department of Justice. An Assistant U.S. Attorney in Fort Worth reviews the file. If theres enough evidence, they open a grand jury investigation. You wont know about any of this. Grand jury proceedings are completley secret.

The first sign your in trouble? FBI agents show up at your door. Or your bank sends you a letter saying your accounts been frozen. Or you get a target letter from the U.S. Attorneys Office. By then, the investigation has been running for months. Maybe years. The government has already interviewed witnesses, subpoenaed bank records, and analyzed your financial history.

What Makes Tarrant County Different

The Northern District of Texas is extremley aggressive. They prosecute more white collar cases then most districts. Fort Worth has a dedicated financial crimes unit that handles PPP fraud exclusivley. These prosecutors have seen hundreds of these cases. They know every excuse, every explanation, every attempt to minimize what happened.

When Tamara Starks filed 100+ applications, the government didnt just charge her with one count. They built a case showing a pattern of fraudulent conduct that was systematicaly designed to exploit the program. Thats how you end up with seven years instead of probation.

Todd Spodek and our team have handled PPP fraud cases in multiple federal districts across the country. What we see in Northern Texas is a court system thats had enough. The pandemic is over. The sympathy is gone. Judges want to send a message that will deter others.

The Cooperation Question

Heres were it gets complicated. In the Hockridge case, her husband Nathan Reis pled guilty and is awaiting sentencing. He cooperated with the government. She went to trial and lost. She got 10 years. Hes going to get significantley less – probly somewhere between two and four years.

This happens constantley. Co-defendants who cooperate early get reduced sentences. Those who fight and lose get the maximum. But heres the trap – you cant cooperate your way out of a case if you dont have information the government actualy wants.

If your a small fish who got caught up in someone elses scheme, cooperation might be your best option. If your the one who organized everything, cooperation might not save you. Stephanie Hockridge was a co-founder of the whole operation. Even if she wanted to cooperate, who would she give up? Her husband? That might not be enough.

The government wants people higher up the chain. They want information about other schemes they dont know about. They want testimony that will help convict others. If you cant provide that, your cooperation has limited value.

The Evidence Problem

Think the government needs your confession? They dont. Every PPP application was submitted electronicaly. Every bank transfer was recorded. Your tax returns from 2019 are already in IRS databases. If you claimed your business had $100,000 in monthly payroll but your 2019 Schedule C shows $30,000 in total revenue, thats a document. Thats evidence that proves the lie.

They dont need you to admit anything. They just need the paper trail. And that trail has been sitting in federal databases for five years, waiting for someone to look at it closley.

Spodek Law Group has successfuly defended clients by attacking the governments evidence – showing that discrepancys had innocent explanations, that clients misunderstood the program requirements, that there was no intent to defraud. But that defense only works if you havent already made statements to federal agents that contradict your position. The moment you talk to the FBI without a lawyer, you create the evidence they need to convict you.

Sentencing Realities in Northern Texas

Lets talk numbers. Federal sentencing guidelines for PPP fraud depend on the loss amount:

• $15,000 – $40,000: Base offense level around 14
• $40,000 – $95,000: Base level around 16
• $95,000 – $150,000: Base level around 18
• $150,000 – $250,000: Base level around 20
• Over $250,000: Significantley higher

But these are just starting points. Enhancements can add years to your sentence. If you used sophistocated means – fake documents, shell companies, multiple applications – thats an enhancement. If you obstructed justice – lied to agents, destroyed documents – thats another enhancement. If you were an organizer or leader – like Hockridge – thats even more time added.

Tamara Starks ended up with 86 months for $4.5 million in loss. Thats consistant with someone at a high base level who got caught with extensive fraudulent conduct over a prolonged period. There was no getting around the 100+ applications she filed.

The acceptance of responsibility reduction – three levels off your sentence – only applies if you plead guilty early. If you make the government prepare for trial and then plead guilty at the last minute, you dont get the full reduction. If you go to trial and lose, you get nothing.

What To Do If Your Under Investigation

First, stop talking. Dont call the bank to ask about your loan status. Dont email your accountant asking about the PPP application. Dont text your business partner about “that PPP thing we did.” Everything is discoverable in federal court.

Second, call a federal criminal defense attorney immediatly. Not a local criminal lawyer who handles DWIs and state charges. Not your business attorney who helped you file the application. Someone who has actualy defended PPP fraud cases in federal court and understands how these prosecutions work.

Third, preserve documents but dont alter them. Deleting emails or shredding paperwork is obstruction of justice – a seperate federal crime that can add years to your sentence even if the underlying PPP fraud charge dosent stick.

At Spodek Law Group, our first step is always understanding were you stand. Are you a target, a subject, or a witness? Has a grand jury been convened? What evidence does the government likely have? Only after answering these questions can we develop a defense strategy that makes sense for your situation.

The Proactive Approach

Some clients come to us before any government contact. Maybe they realized their PPP application had errors after the fact. Maybe they used a preparer who they now suspect was fraudulent. Maybe they got a legitimate loan but spent it on unauthorized expenses like personal items instead of payroll.

In these situations, voluntary disclosure might be an option. Coming forward before your caught demonstates good faith to prosecutors. It dosent eliminate criminal exposure, but it can significantley reduce the consequences. Prosecutors look more favorably on someone who self-reports then someone who had to be investigated for years.

This is especialy important in Tarrant County right now. The Northern District is overwhelmed with PPP cases. They literaly dont have enough prosecutors to handle all the referrals from the SBA OIG. If you can resolve your case quickly through early cooperation, prosecutors may be willing to recommend lower sentences just to clear their dockets and move on to the next case.

Why Federal Experience Matters

Heres something most people dont understand about federal court. Its completley different from state court in almost every way. The rules are different. The prosecutors are different. The judges are appointed for life and have enormous discretion in sentencing.

Todd Spodek has handled federal cases across multiple districts throughout the country. We understand how to navigate the Northern District of Texas specificaly – the local rules, the judicial preferences, the prosecutor tendancies. This matters more then you might think. A defense strategy that works in Manhattan might fail completley in Fort Worth.

When you call Spodek Law Group at 212-300-5196, your getting attorneys who have actualy stood in federal courtrooms defending clients against PPP fraud charges. We’ve seen what works and what dosent work in these cases. We know which arguments resonate with judges and which ones fall flat.

The Clock Is Ticking

Remember Thelma Anderson, the Fort Worth judge? Her indictment came in 2024 for loans she got in 2020. Four years later. The government is extremley patient when it comes to financial crimes. They build cases methodicaly and carefully. They wait until they have everything they need before they move.

If you got a PPP loan in 2020 and something wasnt right about it, you’ve been living with this hanging over you for five years now. Maybe nothing will happen. Or maybe an FBI agent shows up tommorrow morning.

The difference between those outcomes often comes down to what you do today. Waiting until your arrested is the worst possible strategy you can have. By then, the government has already decided your guilty. They’ve already presented evidence to a grand jury. They’ve already gotten an indictment. Your options are dramaticaly limited at that point.

Call us now. Lets figure out were you stand before the government does it for you.