Tynea Lynnshay Gray, a 23-year-old woman from Donaldsonville and Prairieville in Louisiana, was recently indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of mail fraud and wire fraud. According to the Department of Justice, Gray captured victim identification via social media.
When she appeared for her arraignment, Gray pled not guilty to the pending charges.
According to the indictment, Gray obtained names, birth dates, and Social Security numbers of others through social media. She then allegedly used this information to submit fraudulent claims for unemployment insurance benefits without the knowledge or consent of the individuals.
Gray allegedly submitted fraudulent unemployment insurance claims in California between June 2020 and October 2021. She also is accused of submitting claims for Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) benefits in the names of fictitious businesses and based on fictitious business profits and losses.
By last February, she had allegedly devised a PPP scheme to defraud a U.S. lender through the Small Business Administration.
“On or about February 2, 2021, she submitted a false and misleading PPP application in the business name of ‘Royaldiamondzkollection LLC’ seeking PPP funds,” said the Justice Department. Gray submitted a forged bank statement and false tax documents, it added.
“Upon submitting the claims and receiving the funds, she either gave a portion of the funds to others or kept all the funds for herself,” said the Justice Department. Gray allegedly obtained around $500,000 in prepaid debit cards to be mailed to her addresses. Another $20,833 to which she was not entitled, according to the Justice Department, was deposited into her bank account.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Department of Labor-OIG are investigating Gray’s case and it is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Edward H. Warner.
“An indictment is an accusation by a grand jury,” said the Justice Department. “The defendant is presumed innocent until and unless adjudicated guilty at trial or through a guilty plea.”
Gray was previously arrested along with two others in 2019 by the Ascension Parish Sheriff’s Office after a manhunt.
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