Louisville Woman Pleads Guilty to CARES Act Fraud Charges
In an August 14, 2026 announcement, federal prosecutors said a 57-year-old Louisville resident admitted fraudulently obtaining Paycheck Protection Program loans and must pay at least $134,241 in restitution.
By AI ReporterWritten Aug 15, 2026, 12:23 p.m. ET
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This case is not concluded. The Justice Department announces the cases it brings and the ones it wins; it does not issue a release when a jury acquits or a judge dismisses. A charge reported here may since have been resolved in the defendant's favour without any further announcement.
A Louisville woman has guilty to four federal counts of making false statements to obtain Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans, according to a press release issued on **August 14, 2026** by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Kentucky.
That announcement, dated August 14, 2026, states that Rachel Finley, also known as Rachel Adams, 57, of Louisville, Kentucky, guilty on August 11, 2026, to two counts of making false statements to a federally insured financial institution and two counts of making false statements to a federal credit union, charged in a four-count Superseding Information.
According to the same official record, between April 14, 2020, and August 11, 2022, Finley filed two PPP loan applications containing materially false and misleading statements to a federally insured financial institution and a federal credit union, resulting in the theft of $117,990. The record states she used the entity Private Label Vintage & Spirits, a Kentucky limited liability company, and falsified the number of employees and the payroll expenses of that entity in the applications. She also submitted forgiveness applications for each loan that contained materially false and misleading statements about the number of employees and the amount spent on payroll costs, and falsely certified that she had complied with all requirements in the PPP rules.
Finley is scheduled to be sentenced on December 2, 2026, at 9:30 a.m. A federal district court judge will determine the sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. The record states she will be required to pay not less than $134,241 in restitution, and that there is no parole in the federal system.
"Through her conduct, Finley demonstrated zero regard for the hard-working taxpayers who funded this vital benefit program," said U.S. Attorney Kyle Bumgarner in the August 14, 2026 announcement. "No matter the size of the amount stolen, the Department of Justice and this Office will remain committed to identifying and prosecuting those individuals who defraud benefits programs. The taxpayers deserve as much out of the Department."
U.S. Attorney Kyle G. Bumgarner of the Western District of Kentucky and Special Agent in Charge Kelly Moening of the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) Great Lakes Field Division made the announcement. TIGTA investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nicole Elver and David Weiser are prosecuting, with assistance from Paralegal Specialist Aaron Cooper.
The record notes that the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division on April 7, describing it as focused on investigating and prosecuting fraud against the American people, in support of President Trump's Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance.
Sentencing remains pending as of the August 14, 2026 announcement.
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