New Jersey mother goes from prom queen to prison after fall from grace.
A New Jersey woman, Treva Harris, 50, has been sentenced to a year in federal prison for orchestrating a fraudulent pandemic relief scheme that netted her over 0,000. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania reported that Harris, a resident of Medford, was found guilty of bank fraud after she exploited pandemic-related relief programs.
In 2020, Harris applied for and received pandemic relief funds from the U.S. Small Business Administration for her childcare business, Child Prodigy Education Center (CPEC). Initially, she secured an Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) totaling approximately 4,900 by misrepresenting her business operations, claiming it had three employees with a gross income of 5,907 and costs of goods sold amounting to 3,420. However, just months later, she submitted another application for a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan. In this application, she falsely declared that her business employed 27 individuals with a payroll estimate of 4,000 per month, translating to an annual wage claim of about .57 million.
As a result of her fraudulent claims, Harris obtained a PPP loan of 5,000. Authorities indicate that she misappropriated a significant portion of these funds for personal expenses, including luxury retail purchases and cash withdrawals, alongside checks written to her boyfriend’s business.
In addition to her prison sentence, Harris faces three years of supervised release, ordered to pay 5,000 in restitution, a fine of ,500, and a 0 special assessment fee.
Harris gained public attention for an extravagant prom send-off for her daughter, Azar, which featured a Cinderella-themed castle constructed in a parking lot adorned with chandeliers, drapes, and carpeted pathways. She invested over ,000 into this lavish display, showcasing a lifestyle that seemed incongruent with her financial misdeeds.
Despite her legal troubles, Harris previously maintained that the efforts to create such memorable experiences for her children were well worth the financial sacrifices. Her LinkedIn profile indicated she held multiple entrepreneurial roles, including ownership of a home care agency and experience in real estate. The case underscores the challenges of fraudulent behavior in the context of relief programs designed to aid those amid the COVID-19 pandemic, highlighting the disparities between claimed business success and financial conduct.
As more details continue to emerge, the case serves as a sobering reminder of the legal repercussions associated with fraudulent claims during a national crisis.
