Jennifer May, a 43-year-old resident of the District of Columbia, was sentenced in U.S. District Court to more than 12 months in federal prison for her involvement in a scheme that defrauded $1.5 million from the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program. The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
May pleaded guilty on August 27, 2025, to one count of wire fraud. In addition to her prison sentence, Judge Christopher R. Cooper ordered May to serve three years of supervised release and to repay the $1.5 million to the United States as part of her plea agreement.
The case was announced with Executive Special Agent in Charge Kareem Carter of the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation (CI), Washington, D.C. Field Office and Inspector in Charge Damon E. Wood of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Washington Division.
Court documents state that May was the founder and owner of Next Level Partners LLC, a consulting firm focused on helping campaigns comply with finance regulations and manage accounts payable functions.
In October 2021, May submitted a request for an additional $1.5 million in EIDL funds for her company through a second modification to an original application.
The EIDL program was established during the COVID-19 pandemic by the U.S. Small Business Administration to provide low-interest loans to small businesses for working capital needs such as payroll and operating expenses.
May certified on loan applications that all proceeds would be used for business purposes; however, records show that immediately after receiving the funds from the SBA, she transferred large sums into personal accounts and then used them on cryptocurrency speculation involving an asset called “Tomb.” After losing significant amounts through these investments, she used remaining funds to purchase real estate in Middleburg, Virginia and acquire The Lane at Ivy City—a restaurant-bar-childcare space in Northeast Washington—neither of which were related to her business operations.
The investigation was conducted by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and IRS-Criminal Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Will Hart prosecuted the case within the Fraud, Public Corruption, and Civil Rights Section.
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