Rena Barrett, a former loan officer with the Small Business Administration (SBA), pleaded guilty on August 11, 2025, to making false statements to the SBA in connection with fraudulent COVID-19 pandemic loan applications totaling more than $550,000.
“The Economic Injury Disaster Loan program provided critical relief to small businesses and supported our economy during the COVID-19 pandemic,” said United States Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. “It is intolerable that Barrett—who was entrusted to process loans for desperate small businesses—placed her personal greed ahead of doing her job honestly. With the help of our law enforcement partners, we are committed to rooting out and punishing government employees who betray the public’s trust.”
“Abusing authority to fraudulently obtain Economic Injury Disaster Loan funds betrays the trust of small businesses relying on critical relief,” said Special Agent-in-Charge Amaleka McCall-Brathwaite of SBA Office of the Inspector General’s Eastern Region. “OIG is committed to protecting taxpayer dollars and ensuring accountability for those who exploit vital programs for personal gain.”
“Government employees who exploit their positions for personal gain betray the public trust and undermine critical programs designed to help those in need,” said Steven N. Schrank, the Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Georgia and Alabama. “HSI remains steadfast in its commitment to working with our partners to hold accountable those who abuse their authority and harm the integrity of pandemic relief efforts.”
According to court information, Barrett became an SBA employee in October 2020. In May 2021, she submitted a fraudulent Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) application for $170,000. Although initially declined by SBA, Barrett later approved this loan herself in July 2021. The agency discovered she had abused her position by approving this loan and others submitted by herself or relatives. She received nearly half of the approximately $550,000 she attempted to obtain before resigning after her actions were uncovered.
In a related case, Sheena Thompson from Conyers, Georgia pleaded guilty on April 15, 2025, admitting she tried to secure over $150,000 through fraudulent EIDL loans by making false statements to the SBA. Sentencing for Barrett is set for November 12, 2025; Thompson will be sentenced on August 28, 2025.
Separately, Detra Lewis from Atlanta pleaded guilty on August 12, 2025, after obtaining more than $1.25 million through a false Paycheck Protection Program loan application made on behalf of God’s Anointed Youth Ministry. Lewis’s sentencing is scheduled for November 14, 2025.
The investigations into Barrett and Thompson are being conducted by the United States Small Business Administration Office of Inspector General and Homeland Security Investigations. The Federal Bureau of Investigation is handling Lewis’s case.
Assistant United States Attorney Alex R. Sistla is prosecuting all three cases.
The Department of Justice established a COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force on May 17, 2021 to coordinate efforts across agencies against pandemic-related fraud schemes and enhance prosecution strategies against major offenders (https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus).
Individuals with information about attempted COVID-19 fraud can report it via phone at the National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline (866-720-5721) or online at https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
For further details or media inquiries regarding these cases or other matters handled by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia visit http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.
