SPOKANE, Wash. — Two Spokane women have been indicted for COVID-19 relief fraud and are facing up to 20 years in prison.
Natasha Opsal, 40, and Yuriy P. Anischenko, 34, were both indicted on May 3, 2022. Opsal, who now resides in Montana, was charged with nine counts of fraud in connection with several COVID-19 relief loans. Anischenko, now living in Kent, Washington, was charged with three counts of fraud in connection with two EIDL loans.
According to a press release from the attorney's office for the Eastern District of Washington, the indictment against Opsal charges that she fraudulently sought over $600,000 through the PPP and EIDL programs for fictitious businesses. Overall, Opsal received $50,000 before she was indicted.
Meanwhile, Anischenko fraudulently obtained over $300,000 for ineligible and non-qualifying businesses.
"I commend the stellar investigative work on these cases performed by the Strike Force and especially by the U.S. Secret Service, SBA, FBI, and TIGTA," said U.S. Attorney Vanessa R. Waldref. "We will continue to work together with our law enforcement partners to vigorously prosecute those who abuse and misuse COVID-19 relief funding."
According to a press release, these indictments were possible due to the COVID-19 Relief Task Force, which was started by the attorney's office earlier this year. The task force was designed after COVID-19 relief programs began losing money due to the number of people and businesses requesting funding. The PPP and EIDL programs reportedly provided billions of dollars in aid, with hundreds of millions of dollars not being paid back within Eastern Washington.
"We created the COVID-19 Fraud Strike Force because it is critical to the strength and safety of our community in Eastern Washington that we all work together to combat pandemic-related fraud," Waldref said. "The Strike Force is one way to ensure that limited resources are provided to deserving local businesses that provide vital services for our communities. I greatly appreciate the hard work and esprit de corps of so many talented agents and agencies that are contributing to our collective efforts."
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