Oak Hill, WV (WOAY) – After two days of trial, two individuals have pleaded guilty to participating in a bank fraud scheme.
32-year-old Shamiese Wright from Charleston has pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting money laundering. Her co-defendant, 44-year-old Kisha Sutton from New Jersey, was convicted of aiding and abetting bank fraud, as well as money laundering. According to court documents, Wright received over $15,000 from a fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan, backed by the Small Business Administration under the CARES Act.
Prosecutors say Sutton submitted the PPP loan application on Wright’s behalf, falsely claiming she was self-employed with a gross income of $75,000 in 2020. Wright admitted in court that these claims were false and that she submitted a falsified IRS Form 1040 to secure the loan. She later wired $3,000 to Sutton as part of their scheme.
Wright is scheduled to be sentenced on October 29 and faces up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release, a fine of up to $500,000, and more than $18,000 in restitution. Sutton will be sentenced on November 13 and could face up to 50 years behind bars. The court has yet to determine the full amount of restitution she will owe.
