Florida jury convicts woman of wire fraud and money laundering in $2.9 million grant scheme
Treashonna P. Graham of Lake City, Florida was convicted on all 13 counts, including money laundering. Prosecutors say her company, Grant Bae, charged more than 1,000 people fees to find government grants but never did the work.
The US Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Florida announced on October 9, 2026 that a federal jury found Treashonna P. Graham, 42, of Lake City, guilty of all charges in a 13-count indictment. The charges include conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud and money laundering. She is scheduled to be sentenced on January 19, 2027.
According to the release, Graham and co-defendant Joey Williams set up a company called Grant Bae, which claimed it would help minority business owners obtain government grants. Graham charged clients a fee and told them the company was obtaining grant money for them. Evidence at trial showed she never hired anyone to find grants and never helped write grant applications.
The release says more than 1,000 people were victimized and that Graham used the money to buy vehicles, jewelry, clothing and other personal property. She also gambled away hundreds of thousands of dollars at local casinos. Williams previously pleaded guilty and is awaiting sentencing.
Graham faces up to 20 years in prison for the conspiracy and for each wire fraud count, and up to 10 years for each money laundering count. The FBI and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement investigated the case.
Why it matters to AML professionals
Advance-fee schemes like this one collect many small payments from many victims, which can make each payment look ordinary on its own. AML professionals often spot them by looking at the account as a whole: a large number of small incoming fees, little sign of real service costs, and money going out to personal spending or gambling.
Red flags in this case
- A business account receives many small payments from unrelated individuals, described as fees or deposits, with no matching service costs
- Business receipts are spent mainly on personal items such as vehicles, jewelry and clothing
- Frequent large transfers or cash withdrawals linked to casinos from an account funded by customer fees
- Customer complaints, chargebacks or fraud claims from payers who say the promised service was never delivered
If this landed in your queue
- Profile the incoming payments: count the payers, check the payment descriptions and look for fraud claims or chargebacks
- Review outgoing spending for signs of business costs versus personal and gambling spending
- Check open-source information about the business and its advertised service, including complaints
- Escalate for a SAR when the account pattern fits an advance-fee scheme, and note any linked accounts or co-owners
Key terms
- Advance-fee fraud
- A scam where victims pay up front for a service, loan or benefit that is never delivered.
- Wire fraud
- A US federal crime of using electronic communications, such as phone, email or online payments, to carry out a scheme to cheat people out of money.
- Indictment
- A formal written charge issued by a grand jury.
Interview angle
A small business account receives hundreds of payments of similar amounts from individuals, and the money is spent on cars, jewelry and casino visits. What do you look for?
Talk about checking whether the business delivers a real service, comparing receipts with expected costs, looking for victim complaints or chargebacks, tracing the personal and gambling spending, and escalating for a SAR with a clear narrative.
Sources
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