Donna J. Clark Indicted for Fraud and Money Laundering in COVID-19-Related PPP Loan Scheme
2021-08-09 · Press release
Summary: On August 9, 2021, Donna J. Clark, Sr., 64, of Benton, TN, was arrested and arraigned on an indictment charging her with wire fraud, money laundering, and operating an unlicensed money transmittal business, commonly known as a “money mule” operation. Clark pleaded not guilty to the charges, and trial has been set for October 5, 2021, at 9:00 a.m., before the Honorable Charles E. Atchley, Jr., in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee at Chattanooga.
On August 9, 2021, Donna J. Clark, 64, of Benton, TN, was arrested and arraigned on an indictment charging her with wire fraud, money laundering, and operating an unlicensed money transmittal business, commonly known as a “money mule” operation. Clark pleaded not guilty to the charges, and trial has been set for October 5, 2021, at 9:00 a.m., before the Honorable Charles E. Atchley, Jr., in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee at Chattanooga.
According to court documents filed by the United States, from October 2020 to July 2021, Clark participated in a scheme in which she received, deposited, transferred, and transmitted money obtained as part of fraudulent schemes – including fraud related to the receipt of a COVID-19-related PPP loan – in order to add layers to the money trail from victims to the criminal actors for whom Clark laundered money.
Clark faces a possible sentence of up to 30 years’ imprisonment on the wire fraud count, up to 10 years’ imprisonment on the money laundering count, and up to 5 years’ imprisonment for operating an unlicensed money transmittal business, along with significant fines, restitution, and forfeiture of property.
Assistant United States Attorney Steven Neff represents the United States.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI and the U.S. Attorney's Coronavirus Fraud Task Force.
Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can 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/coronavirus.
Members of the public are reminded that an indictment constitutes only charges and that every person is presumed innocent until their guilt has been proven beyond a reasonable doubt.
###
- district_office
- usa_name
- event_type
- judge_name
- judge_title
- case_number
- max_penalty_text
- sentence_summary
- money_amounts
- crypto_assets
- statutes_json
- timeline_json
- press_release_url
- https://www.justice.gov/usao-edtn/pr/donna-j-clark-indicted-fraud-and-money-laundering-covid-19-related-ppp-loan-scheme
- extras_json
| participant_id | name | role | title | organization | location | age | nationality | status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1874 | Donna J. Clark | defendant | Benton, TN | 64 | indicted | |||
| 1875 | Steven Neff | prosecutor | Assistant United States Attorney | U.S. Attorney's Office | Eastern District of Tennessee | |||
| 1876 | Charles E. Atchley, Jr. | judge | Judge | United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee | Chattanooga, TN |
| agency_id | agency_name | abbreviation | role | office_location | agents_mentioned | contribution |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1171 | Federal Bureau of Investigation | FBI | investigation | conducted the investigation | ||
| 1172 | U.S. Attorney's Coronavirus Fraud Task Force | investigation | assisted in the investigation | |||
| 1173 | National Center for Disaster Fraud | NCDF | reporting | operated the fraud hotline for public reporting |
| charge_id | charge_description | statute | severity | max_penalty | fine_amount | defendant | status | participant_id | cl_docket_id | count_num | is_1960 | verified_1960 | source | updated_at |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 960 | wire fraud | 30 years’ imprisonment | Donna J. Clark | indicted | 0 | enrichment | ||||||||
| 961 | money laundering | 10 years’ imprisonment | Donna J. Clark | indicted | 0 | enrichment | ||||||||
| 962 | operating an unlicensed money transmittal business | 5 years’ imprisonment | Donna J. Clark | indicted | 1 | enrichment | 2026-09-16T19:43:14+00:00 |
| fin_id | action_type | amount | currency | description | asset_type | defendant | status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 359 | fine | significant fines | cash | Donna J. Clark | pending | ||
| 360 | restitution | restitution | cash | Donna J. Clark | pending | ||
| 361 | forfeiture | forfeiture of property | property | Donna J. Clark | pending |
| victim_id | victim_type | description | number_affected | loss_amount | geographic_scope | vulnerability_factors | impact_description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 255 |
| quote_id | quote_text | speaker_name | speaker_title | speaker_organization | quote_type | context | significance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1055 | an indictment constitutes only charges and that every person is presumed innocent until their guilt has been proven beyond a reasonable doubt | U.S. Department of Justice | statement | Reminder to the public about the presumption of innocence | Emphasizes the legal principle that defendants are innocent until proven guilty |
| theme_id | theme_name | description | significance | related_statutes | geographic_scope | temporal_aspects | stakeholders |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1205 | Wire Fraud | Clark participated in a scheme involving fraudulent schemes, including PPP loan fraud, to launder money. | Primary charge with potential 30-year imprisonment. | 18 U.S.C. § 1343 | National | Recent development (2020-2021) | Law enforcement, Victims, Financial institutions |
| 1206 | Money Laundering | Clark laundered money by depositing, transferring, and transmitting funds to obscure the trail from victims to criminals. | Central to the case, with a 10-year sentence. | 18 U.S.C. § 1956, 18 U.S.C. § 1957 | National | Recent development (2020-2021) | Law enforcement, Criminal actors, Victims |
| 1207 | Unlicensed Money Transmittal Business | Clark operated a 'money mule' operation without proper licensing. | Charge with up to 5 years imprisonment, part of the money laundering scheme. | 18 U.S.C. § 1960 | National | Recent development (2020-2021) | Law enforcement, Financial institutions |
| 1208 | COVID-19 PPP Loan Fraud | Fraudulent receipt of PPP loans as part of the scheme. | Key element of the fraudulent activities, tied to pandemic relief funds. | National | Pandemic period (2020-2021) | Government agencies, Financial institutions, Victims | |
| 1209 | Federal Investigation | Conducted by FBI and U.S. Attorney's Coronavirus Fraud Task Force. | Crucial in uncovering the scheme and bringing charges. | National | Recent development (2020-2021) | Law enforcement agencies, DOJ |
CourtListener / RECAP
No linked CourtListener docket yet.