A federal grand jury in the Northern District of Texas has indicted April Watson, 50, on 10 counts over pandemic relief loans totaling $680,492, and prosecutors are asking to forfeit a Cedar Hill house that more than $114,000 of the money allegedly helped build. The U.S. Attorney’s Office announced the case Oct. 26. Watson, who is also known as April Watson Horton and April Shawnette Watson, made her initial appearance Oct. 23.
The charges are four counts of wire fraud, two of bank fraud and four of engaging in monetary transactions in property derived from specified unlawful activity, which is the federal money laundering count. The indictment alleges the conduct ran from April 2020 to October 2021. An indictment is only an allegation, and the office notes all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in court.
Where did the $680,492 come from?
Prosecutors say three loans were involved, all under the CARES Act pandemic relief law. Kabbage, Inc. made a $210,698 Paycheck Protection Program loan, JPMorgan Chase a PPP loan of $169,994, and the U.S. Small Business Administration an Economic Injury Disaster Loan of $299,800. Together the three come to $680,492, which the office describes as more than $680,000. Two of the sources were private lenders and the third was the federal government itself, through the SBA’s disaster loan program…