KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) – A Kansas City woman pleaded guilty to fraudulently obtaining or aiding in more than $1.3 million in federal COVID-19 relief loans.
Ashli Forbes, 40, admitted in federal court to wire fraud and money laundering, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Missouri.
Prosecutors said her case was connected to two Paycheck Protection Program loans totaling $426,600.
With her plea, Forbes acknowledged she helped fraudulently obtain around $1.3 million in PPP loans for 4 companies.
What She Did
Prosecutors noted that Forbes submitted false applications and supporting documents for loans tied to two businesses she owned: Forbes Realty Company and Left Lane Motors.
Forbes Realty Company:
In April 2020, court records showed that Forbes submitted a loan application claiming the company had an average monthly payroll of more than $82,000.
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THE ISUZU MOTORS PAYROLL FRAUD (GQEBERHA, SA)
Date: February 16, 2026 Perpetrator: Natasja Slabbert (42)
Case Description: In a case that hit home for the Eastern Cape business community, Natasja Slabbert, a payroll administrator at Isuzu Motors South Africa’s Struandale plant, was arrested for an alleged R10.5 million fraud. The scheme, which began surfacing in late 2024, exploited the very systems designed to manage employee compensation. Slabbert allegedly manipulated payroll records to create false entries that appeared as legitimate deductions and contributions on employee payslips. In reality, these “deductions” were being diverted into her personal bank account.
The fraud was only uncovered after diligent employees noticed that their net “take-home” pay was significantly lower than expected, despite the gross amounts on their payslips remaining high. Following a thorough probe by the Hawks’ Serious Commercial Crime Investigation team and the NPA’s Specialised Commercial Crime Unit, it was discovered that in August 2024 alone, over R626,000 was unlawfully transferred. Slabbert was granted bail of R5,000 on February 17, 2026, and the case has been postponed to later in the month for further legal proceedings. This case highlights the critical need for “segregation of duties” in payroll departments, as a single point of failure allowed for the systematic siphoning of millions over nearly two years.
Link to Original: PE Express – Isuzu Payroll Fraud