A Texas woman has been indicted on allegations that she fraudulently obtained more than $680,000 in pandemic relief funds and used part of the money to help build a home in Cedar Hill.
April Watson, 50, also known as April Watson Horton and April Shawnette Watson, faces a 10-count federal indictment issued in the Northern District of Texas. She made her initial court appearance on 23 October 2026.
Alleged COVID relief fraud scheme
Prosecutors allege that Watson applied for Paycheck Protection Programme (PPP) loans and Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) between April 2020 and October 2021, using several businesses she owned or operated.
The companies named in the indictment include Exotic Bliss Beauty LLC, Brain Evolution LLC and Southern Home Ventures LLC. Investigators allege that Watson submitted fabricated payroll summaries and false IRS documents, including W-2 and W-3 forms.
According to court documents, the payroll company said to have prepared the forms had not generated them. Prosecutors also allege that no relevant business tax returns reporting wages or gross revenue were filed with the IRS for 2019 or 2020.
The alleged false applications resulted in $210,698 in PPP loans from Kabbage, $299,800 in EIDL funds paid directly by the US Small Business Administration and a further $169,994 in PPP funding from JPMorgan Chase.
Federal prosecutors claim Watson then used the money for personal purposes. More than $114,000 was allegedly transferred towards construction of a residential property at Terrace Lane in Cedar Hill, while $40,000 was wired to an associate.
US Attorney Ryan Raybould said pandemic relief schemes had been intended to support struggling businesses, rather than private housebuilding and luxury spending.
“Falsifying tax records and treating emergency small business relief like a personal lottery ticket is a serious federal crime that leaves Main Street Americans shouldering the burden,” he said.
Christopher J Altemus Jr, special agent in charge of the IRS Criminal Investigation Texas Field Office, said the money was intended to help legitimate businesses remain operational during the pandemic.
The investigation was carried out by IRS Criminal Investigation and Homeland Security Investigations as part of the Dallas El Dorado Task Force. Assistant US Attorney Elise Aldendifer is prosecuting the case.
Watson is charged with four counts of wire fraud, two counts of bank fraud and four counts of conducting monetary transactions involving property allegedly derived from unlawful activity.
If convicted, she could face up to 20 years in prison for each wire fraud count, up to 30 years for each bank fraud count and up to 10 years for each unlawful monetary transaction count.
The US government is seeking forfeiture of the Cedar Hill property and a financial judgment covering the alleged fraud proceeds. The indictment contains allegations only, and Watson is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
