Winter Garden woman sentenced to 30 months for COVID relief fraud and failure to file tax returns

Date: Sept. 14, 2026

Contact: newsroom@ci.irs.gov

Orlando, FL – Verlynn Horne has been sentenced by U.S. District Judge Julie S. Sneed to two years and six months in federal prison for wire fraud and willful failure to file tax returns. Horne pleaded guilty on April 7, 2026. As part of her sentence, the court also entered an order of forfeiture in the amount of $2,517,930, the proceeds of the wire fraud scheme and for Horne’s real property located in Winter Garden. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.

According to court documents, between June and August 2020, Horne fraudulently applied for and obtained COVID-19 Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) and Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans on behalf of non-operational businesses she controlled, which received $337,915. She also helped prepare and submit fraudulent COVID-19 loan applications on behalf of at least 35 other entities and individuals, who received $4,476,437. In exchange for her services, Horne received a portion of the other individuals’ loan proceeds. As a result of her scheme, Horne received $2,517,930 and used a portion of those funds to purchase a residence in Winter Garden. Despite receiving COVID-19 loan funds, Horne failed to file federal tax returns for herself or her businesses for the years 2020 and 2021. For those two years, she owed $766,707.20 to the Internal Revenue Service.

This case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Diane S. Hu and Megan Testerman. The forfeiture was handled by Assistant United States Attorney Nicole M. Andrejko.

On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division (“Fraud Division”). The Fraud Division is laser-focused on investigating and prosecuting those who commit fraud against the American people. The Department’s work to combat fraud supports President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs.

IRS-CI is the law enforcement arm of the IRS, responsible for conducting financial crime investigations, including tax fraud, narcotics trafficking, money laundering, public corruption, healthcare fraud, identity theft and more. It is the only federal law enforcement agency with investigative jurisdiction over violations of the Internal Revenue Code. IRS-CI has 16 field offices located across the U.S. and maintains an international presence through attaché posts abroad.