Three Southern Californians pleaded guilty to defrauding the government of $3.5 million through a scheme targeting COVID economic relief loans.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office identified them as Daryl D. Knighten, Jr., 34, of Perris, Vanessa M. Williams, 37, of Corona, and Denise Mata, 36, of Moreno Valley.
The crimes occurred from March 2021 to August 2021 as the group submitted fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans for themselves, family members, close associates and people they recruited, prosecutors said…