City Council member Tiawana Brown indicted for fraud

CITY OF CHARLOTTE

Charlotte City Council member Tiawana Brown (center) takes the oath of office from Mayor Vi Lyles in December 2023. Brown has been indicted on federal wire fraud changes stemming from COVID-19 relief applications made between 2020-21.

Charlotte City Council member Tiawana Brown is facing federal indictment on wire fraud charges.

Brown, 53, and her daughters Tijema Brown, 30, and Antionette Rouse, 33, are charged with conspiring to falsely obtain more than $124,000 in COVID-19 pandemic relief funds, according to Russ Ferguson, U.S. attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. The elder Brown, who represents District 3, which encompasses west Charlotte, said the indictment is politically motivated to interfere with her re-election.

“I am not here to be tried in the media,” Brown said in a statement, adding the allegations were connected to actions at least four years before she was elected in 2023. “However, I must address the allegations against me by the United States District Court. I will have my day in court, and I trust the process.”

A press release from Ferguson’s office laid out the government’s allegation that Brown and her daughters schemed to fraudulently obtain federal money through multiple applications:  

“According to allegations in the indictment, between April 2020 and September 2021, the defendants conspired to execute a scheme to defraud the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program and its Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and obtain COVID pandemic relief funds for their purported businesses, through the submission of loan applications that contained false information or false documentation. It is alleged that the false documentation generally included fake and fraudulent tax forms, among other misrepresentations. It is further alleged that the defendants submitted false statements to obtain forgiveness of the PPP loans. In total, the defendants allegedly submitted at least 15 applications for EIDL or PPP funds and falsely obtained at least $124,165 in connection with their scheme to defraud.”

Ferguson’s office alleged Brown also spent part of the pandemic relief money – about $15,000 – on a birthday party for herself.

Brown, the first formerly incarcerated person elected to council, was convicted on federal fraud charges in 1994 and served four years. She insists the allegations are unrelated to her duties as a public official and has been upfront about her past.

“I want to be clear: these allegations concern actions that took place before I took office,” Brown. “I have always been transparent about my past and have worked tirelessly to serve my community with integrity and dedication.”

Before her election to council, Brown was best known for her advocacy on behalf of formerly incarcerated people, including the launch of the nonprofit Beauty After the Bars, which helps women transition into society.

“I am committed to continuing my work for the residents of District 3,” she added. “I trust in the legal process and am confident that the truth will come to light.”

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