Former Philadelphia Eagles running back Wendell Smallwood Jr. has been charged with multiple federal crimes related to alleged COVID-19 relief fraud, prosecutors in Delaware announced Thursday. The 30-year-old could face up to 50 years in prison if convicted on all charges.
Federal investigators allege that Smallwood orchestrated multiple fraudulent schemes targeting pandemic relief programs between 2020 and 2021, during the final years of his NFL career. The Wilmington native, residing in Mullica, New Jersey, is accused of defrauding the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program and the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP).
Prosecutors claim Smallwood obtained approximately $46,000 in fraudulent EIDL loans by submitting applications for defunct or recently registered businesses with misrepresented financial information. Rather than using the funds for business purposes, authorities allege Smallwood withdrew the money for personal use.
In a separate scheme, Smallwood allegedly conspired to defraud the PPP program of $269,000 through a kickback operation. Prosecutors say he collaborated with others to submit at least 13 fraudulent loan applications using fabricated business details and inflated revenue figures. Smallwood reportedly received kickbacks ranging from $4,000 to $12,000 for each fraudulent loan…