A Kansas City woman admitted in federal court to her involvement in a scheme to obtain fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans. Rasheda McDaniel, 42, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Greg Kays to charges of wire fraud and aggravated identity theft.
Court documents show that on March 22, 2021, McDaniel and co-defendant Briauna Adams used another person’s identification information to apply online for a PPP loan in that individual’s name. The application listed business income figures that did not match the actual tax return, which reported no taxable income and lacked a Schedule C form.
The loan was approved on April 2, 2021, resulting in a wire deposit of $20,832. Of this amount, $2,000 was transferred to an account controlled by Adams and $18,830 went to McDaniel’s account.
In another instance on February 27, 2021, Adams submitted a separate PPP loan application using McDaniel’s personal information. The documents stated that McDaniel owned a business with significant gross receipts and profit for the relevant period; however, she did not operate such a business during that time.
McDaniel received another $20,832 wire deposit on March 4, 2021. That same day she withdrew $15,000 in cash from her account.
Briauna Adams previously pleaded guilty to multiple fraud charges on May 7, 2025 and is awaiting sentencing.
McDaniel could face up to 22 years in federal prison without parole. Sentencing will be determined by the court after consideration of advisory guidelines and other factors following a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul S. Becker prosecuted the case after an investigation conducted by IRS-Criminal Investigation and the Kansas City Police Department.
