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Three Riverside County residents plead guilty in $3.5 million COVID loan fraud case
Three Riverside County residents have pleaded guilty to federal wire fraud charges in connection with a scheme that prosecutors say fraudulently obtained about $3.5 million in COVID-19 business-relief loans.
Vanessa M. Williams, 37, of Corona; Denise Mata, 36, of Moreno Valley; and Daryl D. Knighten Jr., 34, of Perris each pleaded guilty this week to one count of wire fraud, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California.
Federal prosecutors said the three submitted fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program, or PPP, loan applications between March and August 2021 for themselves, family members, close associates and other people they recruited.
According to their plea agreements, the applications falsely stated that applicants were self-employed and that the loan money would be used for allowable business expenses. The applications also included fraudulent tax forms that were used to obtain the loans.
Lenders approved PPP loans for the defendants and more than 100 co-schemers, prosecutors said. The loan proceeds were then deposited into bank accounts belonging to the defendants and others involved in the scheme.
Prosecutors said co-schemers paid kickbacks to the defendants after receiving the loans.
The money was allegedly used for personal benefit rather than permitted business expenses. The defendants also submitted fraudulent documents to the Small Business Administration and participating lenders in an effort to obtain loan forgiveness, according to the Justice Department.
Federal prosecutors estimate the scheme caused about $3.5 million in losses to the PPP program.
The government says Knighten admitted causing at least $145,550 in losses, while Williams admitted to at least $187,497 and Mata admitted to at least $201,642.
All three are scheduled to be sentenced January 14, 2027, in federal court in Riverside. Each faces a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison.
A fourth defendant, Mikhail G. Hoalim of Moreno Valley, has pleaded not guilty to nine counts of wire fraud and is scheduled for trial November 9, according to federal prosecutors.
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By: City News Service
September 25, 2026
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