Raleigh Basketball Scout and Life Coach Sentenced to Prison for Obtaining Nearly $300,000 in Fraudulent COVID-19 Relief Loans in Nationwide Scheme

RALEIGH, N.C. – Earl Lamont Taylor, 52, was sentenced to six years in prison Monday and will be ordered to pay over half a million dollars in restitution to the Small Business Administration.  Taylor went to trial in November and ultimately pled guilty to one count each of bank fraud and wire fraud while the jury was deliberating. He received almost $300,000 in fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) COVID-19 loans.  This fraud was part of a multimillion-dollar national scheme, and, to date, more than 30 defendants have pled guilty and 29 have been sentenced.

“The Paycheck Protection Program required a degree of trust in American businesspeople,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Daniel P. Bubar. “Thankfully, most were worthy of that trust, but Earl Taylor and his co-defendants were not. This sentence sends a message that those who take advantage of programs like PPP will receive serious consequences for their crimes.”

“The defendant conspired to take advantage of critical aid programs intended to provide relief for businesses affected during the pandemic by fraudulently applying for and obtaining COVID-19 program funds,” said Special Agent in Charge Donald “Trey” Eakins, Charlotte Field Office, IRS Criminal Investigation. “Our special agents will continue to work alongside our law enforcement partners to pursue individuals who try to exploit federal relief programs for their personal gain.”

According to court records and evidence presented at trial, Taylor worked with Quentin Jackson and Edward Whitaker to obtain fraudulent PPP loans.  Taylor was referred to Whitaker by Jackson, and, with Whitaker’s assistance, Taylor applied for and received loans for two businesses, Get Me Recruited, LLC (a basketball scouting and tournament staging business) and Changing the Game Life Coach (purportedly a life coaching service for young athletes). The total received for both loans was $291,665.50, and Taylor paid Whitaker $72,917.24 for his assistance. In addition to the fraudulent loans, the trial evidence showed that Taylor also cashed alleged “payroll” checks for Jackson on Jackson’s PPP loans.

Information presented at the trial showed that Get Me Recruited, LLC did have business in 2019 and 2020, but employees listed on the loan application testified that they never made more than $2,000 per year and were not regularly salaried employees. The loan application submitted by Taylor listed their annual salaries as being between $110,145 and $128,416. In contrast, Changing the Game Life Coach did not appear to have any meaningful business during the relevant period and employees testified that they had never done any work for the company, and the bank account associated with the business was only open to receive the loan disbursement.

Jackson pled guilty in November 2022 and Whitaker pled guilty in January 2023.  Jackson was sentenced to seven years in prison in December.

Other defendants that have been sentenced in the broader “Loanstarters” PPP scheme include:

• Albert Eugene Miller, Jr. [Case No. 5-22-CR-00290-D]
• Jonathan Fleming [Case No. 5-22-CR-00337-D]
• Nekita Hooks [Case No. 5-23-CR-00025-D]
• Denise Coit Alston [Case No. 5-23-CR-00077-D]
• Monica Faye Barnes [Case No. 5:23-CR-00094-D]
• Dontrell Barnes [Case No. 5-23-CR-00094-D]
• Isaac Lamont Dawson [Case No. 5:23-CR-0097-D]
• Irene Edwards [Case No. 5-23-CR-00098-D]
• Natosia Jerome Jenkins [Case No. 5:23-CR-00167-D]
• Ronald L. Jones [Case No. 5:23-CR-00339-D]
• Delvin Dashavone Felder [Case No. 5:23-CR-00198]
• Shun Lamont Gibbs [Case No. 5:23-CR-00346-D]
• Teresa Ann McRae [Case No. 5:23-CR-00313-D]
• Dontae Antonio Murphy [Case No. 5:24-CR-00072]
• Jackson Ndoyo [Case No. 5-23-CR-00118-D]
• Terron Cortez Parker [Case No. 5-23-CR-00081-D]
• Ayyub Abdur Rasheed [Case No. 5:23-CR-00314-D]
• Karim Aziz Razzak [Case No. 5:23-CR-00324]
• Toni A. Smith [Case No. 5:23-CR-00312-D]
• Darian Casteele Tyler [Case No. 5:23-CR-00338-D]
• Shakeerah Kaneisha Yvette Vinson [Case No. 5-23-CR-00027-D]
• Anthony S. Whitaker [Case No. 5:23-CR-00311-D]
• James Elton Watson Case No. 5:23-CR-00323-D]
• Shara Monique Wells [Case No. 5:23-CR-00323-D]
• Kami D. Woodard [Case No. 5-23-CR-00095-D]
• Lenille Woodard [Case No. 5-23-CR-00138-D]
• Quentin Jackson [Case No. 5-22-CR-180-D]
• Everett M. McBride [Case No. 5:24-CR-00036-D]
• Hanif Abdul-Hakim [Case No. 5:24-CR-00109-D]
• Schunda Coleman [Case No. 5-22-CR-00257-D]
• Edward Whitaker [Case No. 5-22-CR-00257-D]

Defendants awaiting sentencing include:

The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act was designed to provide emergency financial assistance to the millions of Americans who were economically suffering from the COVID-19 pandemic.  The CARES Act and additional appropriations authorized up to $649 billion in forgivable loans to small businesses through the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP).  Financial institutions issued the PPP loans, which were guaranteed by the Small Business Administration (SBA).

Daniel P. Bubar, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after U.S. District Judge James C. Dever III accepted the plea. Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigations investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorneys William M.  Gilmore and David Beraka prosecuted the case.

Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:23-CR-00335-D.