Former SBA employee among three women pleading guilty in COVID-19 loan fraud cases

Three women, including a former federal employee, have pleaded guilty in Atlanta to charges related to fraudulent applications for COVID-19 pandemic relief loans.

Rena Barrett, a former loan officer with the Small Business Administration (SBA), admitted on August 11, 2025, to making false statements in connection with applications for more than $550,000 in fraudulent Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) funds. According to court information, Barrett joined the SBA in October 2020 and later submitted her own fraudulent EIDL application for $170,000. After the SBA initially denied the loan in May 2021, Barrett approved it herself two months later. The agency soon discovered she had used her position to approve that and other loans submitted by herself or her relatives. Barrett received nearly half of the total amount sought before resigning after her actions were uncovered.

“The Economic Injury Disaster Loan program provided critical relief to small businesses and supported our economy during the COVID-19 pandemic,” said United States Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. “It is intolerable that Barrett—who was entrusted to process loans for desperate small businesses—placed her personal greed ahead of doing her job honestly. With the help of our law enforcement partners, we are committed to rooting out and punishing government employees who betray the public’s trust.”

“Abusing authority to fraudulently obtain Economic Injury Disaster Loan funds betrays the trust of small businesses relying on critical relief,” said Special Agent-in-Charge Amaleka McCall-Brathwaite of SBA Office of the Inspector General’s Eastern Region. “OIG is committed to protecting taxpayer dollars and ensuring accountability for those who exploit vital programs for personal gain.”

“Government employees who exploit their positions for personal gain betray the public trust and undermine critical programs designed to help those in need,” said Steven N. Schrank, the Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Georgia and Alabama. “HSI remains steadfast in its commitment to working with our partners to hold accountable those who abuse their authority and harm the integrity of pandemic relief efforts.”

Barrett's sentencing is set for November 12, 2025.

In a related case, Sheena Thompson from Conyers also pled guilty on April 15, 2025, admitting she attempted to obtain over $150,000 through fraudulent EIDL loan applications. Her sentencing is scheduled for August 28, 2025.

Separately, Detra Lewis from Atlanta admitted on August 12, 2025, that she made false statements while applying for Paycheck Protection Program funds on behalf of God’s Anointed Youth Ministry. Lewis obtained over $1.25 million through this scheme and will be sentenced on November 14, 2025.

The investigations into Barrett and Thompson were led by SBA’s Office of Inspector General along with Homeland Security Investigations; Lewis’s case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Assistant United States Attorney Alex R. Sistla is prosecuting all three cases.

In response to widespread fraud during the COVID-19 pandemic relief efforts, the Department of Justice created a task force in May 2021 aimed at coordinating resources across government agencies https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus. The task force investigates major domestic and international actors involved in pandemic-related fraud schemes and supports agencies running relief programs by sharing investigative methods and lessons learned from prior cases.

Members of the public can report suspected COVID-19-related fraud by calling the National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline at 866-720-5721 or submitting information online at https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.