By Charles E. Ramirez, cramirez@detroitnews.com

A former analyst for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms convicted of COVID-19 relief loan fraud has been sentenced.

Tiesha Johnson, 57, formerly of Farmington Hills, was given seven months in jail by an Oakland County Circuit Court judge on Wednesday, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said.

“Federal assistance programs are meant to help people during difficult times, and when someone defrauds the system, they take resources away from those who truly need them,” Nessel said in a statement. “My office remains committed to holding accountable those who misuse taxpayer funds.”

Johnson’s attorney, Richard Terrell Taylor, was not immediately available for comment on Thursday.

Authorities alleged that Johnson fraudulently obtained two Paycheck Protection Program Loans and one Economic Injury Disaster Loan totaling $34,675 while she was a federal employee. PPP loans were created to cover businesses’ payroll expenses during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The U.S. Department of Justice Office of Inspector General referred the matter to Nessel’s office for investigation in July 2022.

Johnson was arrested in Dallas, returned to Michigan, and charged in December 2023 with three counts of obtaining between $1,000 and $20,000 under false pretenses. Each count carries a penalty of up to five years in prison.

In May 2024, she was ordered to stand trial in Oakland County Circuit Court. Three months later, Johnson pleaded no contest to the charges.

In October 2024, a judge sentenced the defendant to 11 months in jail but agreed to delay it if she paid $34,675 in restitution within 60 days. She failed to pay the restitution, and her sentencing hearing, initially scheduled for September 2025, was postponed until January, according to court records.

Johnson is among the most recent Michigan residents to be accused of fraud related to COVID-19 relief loans.

Last week, a Beverly Hills man pleaded guilty in federal court to defrauding the government of more than $2 million in federal COVID-19 relief funds. He is scheduled to be sentenced on July 28.

Earlier this month, a Macomb County woman convicted of conspiring to steal more than $3 million in COVID-19 relief loans was sentenced to 27 months in prison.

In July, a Harper Woods man accused of fraudulently obtaining more than $60,000 in COVID-19 relief funds was charged. His trial in Wayne County Circuit Court is scheduled to begin in March, according to court records.