PHOENIX — A former Phoenix Police Department officer has been arrested after allegedly fraudulently obtaining more than $1 million from the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP).
According to court paperwork, Toni Richardson — a former police officer — and Willie Mitchell submitted a false PPP loan application to obtain money for their business, "The Lotto Club."
In total, Richardson and Mitchell obtained $1,276,500 from the PPP for their business but allegedly used the money for personal expenses and transferred the money to personal banking accounts, court documents stated.
Court paperwork states that Richardson was a 100% owner of the business and didn't have any payroll or employees.
The Phoenix Police Department says Richardson is no longer on the force. Upon notification of the charges, officials with Phoenix police say they "immediately began the process to terminate employment," but Richardson submitted a letter of resignation before the firing occurred.
It is unclear when Richardson submitted her resignation to the department.
"The city of Phoenix takes allegations of criminal conduct by our employees very seriously," the Phoenix Police Department wrote in a statement. "The alleged actions of this employee go against the core values of the city and everything we stand for as public servants."
Richardson faces multiple federal charges, including conspiracy, bank fraud, transactional money laundering and forfeiture allegation.
Richardson's attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
This story was originally published by Scripps station KNXV in Phoenix.
