SOUTH BEND – Tonya R. Winston, 59 years old, of South Bend, Indiana, was found guilty after a three-day jury trial presided over United States District Court Judge Cristal C. Brisco, announced Acting United States Attorney M. Scott Proctor.

The jury returned a verdict of guilty against Winston on all five counts of the Superseding Indictment charging her with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, three counts of wire fraud, and one count of theft of government money.

According to documents in the case, Winston devised a scheme to fraudulently obtain loans through the Paycheck Protection Program, which was a COVID-19 pandemic relief program intended to provide loans to small businesses. Winston obtained multiple loans for herself by submitting false loan applications, and she helped others to do the same. 

Sentencing is scheduled for November 25, 2025.  Any specific sentence to be imposed will be determined by the District Court Judge after consideration of federal statutes and the United States Sentencing Guidelines.

“The federal government introduced the Paycheck Protection Program to assist small business during an extreme and unexpected crisis,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Proctor.  “Tonya Winston defrauded that program, and the American taxpayers who funded it.  Today, a jury of her peers found her guilty of committing those crimes.  This would not have been possible without the exceptional work of our federal agents, prosecutors, victim-witness coordinators, and other support staff.  They have my thanks.”

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development Office of Inspector General, and the Internal Revenue Service. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Luke N. Reilander and Joel Gabrielse.