Ex-ATF investigator who lived in Farmington Hills accused in pandemic loan scheme

A former Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms investigator has been ordered to stand trial for defrauding $34,000 in pandemic business loans from the government, officials said.

Tiesha Johnson, 56, formerly of Farmington Hills, this week waived her right to a preliminary examination and was bound over to stand trial in Oakland County Circuit Court on charges of fraudulently obtaining Paycheck Protection Program Loans and Economic Injury Disaster Loans from the federal government, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said in a statement Friday.

"These federal loan programs were meant to keep businesses afloat amid the international pandemic,” Nessel said in a statement issued when she announced charges against Johnson in December. "Defrauding your country, your neighbors, and your fellow Americans during a time of global crisis for your own financial gain cannot be tolerated. The State of Michigan saw millions of dollars fraudulently taken from these programs, and my office remains committed to rooting out and prosecuting the fraudsters and scammers responsible."

Johnson is scheduled to appear next in court on May 8, Nessel's office said.

The defendant is charged with three counts of obtaining between $1,000 and $20,000 under false pretenses, officials said. Each count carries a penalty of up to five years in prison.

Johnson's attorney could not immediately be reached for comment Friday.

Prosecutors allege Johnson fraudulently obtained two PPP loans and one EID Loan totaling $34,675 while she was an investigator for the ATF.

Officials said police took the defendant into custody in Dallas after the attorney general's office issued arrest warrants for her.

Johnson was returned to Michigan to face charges.

cramirez@detroitnews.com

X: @CharlesERamirez