New Orleans Man Pleads Guilty to Making False Statements to Small Business Administration

NEW ORLEANS – United States Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that RENIC PALMER, JR. (“PALMER”), age 24, of New Orleans, pled guilty on August 1, 2024, before United States District Judge Carl J. Barbier to making or using false writings or documents to the United States Small Business Administration (SBA), in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1001(a)(3).

According to court documents, PALMER, to obtain a Payroll Protection Program (“PPP”) Loan, submitted false writings and documents to the SBA.  In his application, among other things, PALMER falsely represented that he was the owner of a merchant wholesale hair supply company formed in 2017 and that he was eligible for PPP funds.  As a result of these false representations, PALMER obtained $20,832.00 from the SBA.

PALMER faces up to five years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, up to a $250,000 fine, a $100 mandatory special assessment fee, and restitution to the SBA for his conduct.  Sentencing has been scheduled before Judge Barbier on November 7, 2024. 

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 (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.

For more information on the Department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus.

U.S. Attorney Evans commended the Special Agents of the Coast Guard Investigative Service for their work on this case.  Assistant United States Attorney Andre J. Lagarde of the Public Integrity Unit is in charge of the prosecution.