Nuno Indicted in $18 Million Pandemic Loan Fraud
A federal grand jury in California charged Marisela Nuno with wire fraud and money laundering tied to alleged pandemic relief loan applications.
Updated on Nov. 4, 2026 in Financial Crime
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A federal grand jury in the Central District of California indicted 53-year-old Marisela Nuno on three wire fraud counts and one money laundering count. Prosecutors allege she sought more than $18 million in pandemic relief loans using false business and payroll records.
Why it matters
The case reflects continued federal scrutiny of pandemic-era relief programs years after Congress authorized them during the COVID-19 emergency. It shows how prosecutors are pursuing alleged misuse of Paycheck Protection Program and Economic Injury Disaster Loan funds.
Nuno faces three counts of wire fraud and one count of money laundering, with a statutory maximum of 20 years on each wire fraud count and 10 years on the money laundering count. The indictment was returned by a federal grand jury in the Central District of California, and the case is being prosecuted by the Justice Department's National Fraud Enforcement Division.
The players
Marisela Nuno
The 53-year-old defendant charged in the indictment, who allegedly sought more than $18 million in pandemic relief loans.
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The federal law enforcement agency that investigated the alleged loan fraud alongside other federal agencies.
U.S. Small Business Administration Office of Inspector General
The independent watchdog office within the SBA that investigates fraud in federal small business loan programs.
The details
Prosecutors allege Nuno used businesses and entities she claimed to own to submit loan requests containing inaccurate employee counts, payroll figures, revenue totals and eligibility information, along with false tax documents. The FBI, IRS Criminal Investigation and the SBA Office of Inspector General investigated the case.
Timeline
Congress authorized the pandemic relief programs in 2020 and 2021 during the COVID-19 emergency.
A federal grand jury indicted Nuno on Tuesday, November 3, 2026.
The Justice Department announced the indictment on November 4, 2026.
Legal Context
The indictment is part of a continuing wave of federal prosecutions over alleged misuse of the Paycheck Protection Program and Economic Injury Disaster Loan program, which Congress authorized during the COVID-19 emergency. Cases like this one show prosecutors still pursuing pandemic-era loan fraud years after the programs ended.
Residents and small business owners in California may see continued federal scrutiny of pandemic loan records as prosecutions proceed. Anyone with information about relief program fraud can contact the agencies that investigated the case.
The takeaway
Pandemic relief fraud cases can take years to reach indictment, and prosecutors continue to pursue them. Business owners who relied on these programs should keep records that match their loan applications.
Further reading
For more on similar cases, see Financial Crime coverage on Wisevoter.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Dallas Express.
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