COLUMBIA, S.C. — State agents have taken a Columbia woman into custody, accusing her of claiming a business she didn't own to get thousands of dollars in emergency pandemic funds.
Warrants shared by the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division said that, in 2021, 36-year-old Quentel Renee Brevard allegedly applied for a COVID-era Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan, claiming she owned a hair salon and had $95,000 in gross income for the 2020 year. Brevard received a loan of $19,790.
However, at the request of the South Carolina Office of Inspector General, SLED investigators found that Brevard wasn't a licensed cosmetologist per state records and was only listed as the registered agent for one business, Brevard Financial Services, LLC. A warranted search of her bank account then found "no transactions consistent with owning a hair business," according to the warrant. Authorities added that her gross income in 2020 was less than $50,000 despite what was listed on the application.
On Sept. 5, authorities charged Brevard with obtaining a signature or property by false pretense - valued over $10,000. Brevard was arrested with the help of the Lexington County Sheriff's Department and was booked into Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center.
