Bluefield Woman Pleads Guilty to COVID-19 Relief Fraud Scheme

BLUEFIELD, W.Va. – April Elick, 43, of Bluefield, pleaded guilty today to theft of government money. Elick obtained $84,000 in COVID-19 loans guaranteed by the Small Business Administration (SBA) under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act and converted loan proceeds for her personal use.

According to court documents and statements made in court, Elick obtained two Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans totaling $14,520 in April 2021, after claiming the funds were for her home healthcare business to help cover payrolls and other qualifying expenses. Elick also received a $61,000 Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) authorized by the CARES Act in January 2022 and successfully applied to increase that COVID-19 business relief loan by $8,700 in April 2022.

As part of her guilty plea, Elick admitted that she knew she could use the loan proceeds only for purposes specifically allowed by those CARES Act programs. Elick further admitted that she used loan fund for personal expenses, including approximately $30,560 through cash withdrawals, approximately $16,350 in digital wallet transfers and $8,290.11 in purchases for goods and services in West Virginia, Virginia, and North Carolina.

The CARES Act made forgivable PPP loans available to adversely impacted eligible businesses and sole proprietors, independent contractors and self-employed individuals, and also authorized the SBA to provide EIDL program loans of up to $2 million to eligible small businesses experiencing substantial financial disruption.

Elick is scheduled to be sentenced on September 8, 2025, and faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine. Elick also owes $97,802.59 in restitution.

Acting United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the WorkForce West Virginia Integrity Section, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Office of Inspector General (NASA OIG), the Litigation Financial Analyst with the U.S. Attorney’s Office, and the West Virginia State Police – Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI).

NASA OIG is an active member of the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee (PRAC) Fraud Task Force. The PRAC was established to promote transparency and facilitate coordinated oversight of the federal government’s COVID-19 pandemic response. The PRAC’s 20 member Inspectors General identify major risks that cross program and agency boundaries to detect fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement in the more than $5 trillion in COVID-19 spending, including spending via the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), and Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program. This case was also supported by the PRAC’s Pandemic Analytics Center of Excellence, which applies the latest advances in analytic and forensic technologies to help OIGs and law enforcement pursue data-driven pandemic relief fraud investigations.

Senior United States District Judge David A. Faber presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorneys Andrew J. Tessman and J. Parker Bazzle II have prosecuted the case.

Individuals with information about allegations of fraud involving COVID-19 are encouraged to report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline at 866-720-5721, or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:25-cr-56.

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