Former Charlotte City Councilwoman Tiawana Brown is headed to federal prison after pleading guilty in a COVID relief fraud scheme. A judge sentenced her Tuesday to 10 months behind bars.
Brown, 55, also received two years of supervised release and agreed to forfeit $22,500. Her two daughters received probation and home detention for their roles.
Federal prosecutors said the three women fraudulently obtained more than $146,000 in pandemic relief funds. Some of the money later went toward personal expenses, including an elaborate birthday celebration.
The defendants were also ordered to pay $137,280.09 in restitution to the Small Business Administration. Brown has already paid more than $20,000 toward that amount.
Brown’s attorney had asked for probation instead of prison. Prosecutors also indicated they would not oppose probation, but Judge Kenneth Bell rejected that request.
“These programs are set up at a time of great desperation for a lot of people,” said Judge Bell. “The public is tired of being ripped off.”
Brown was offered the chance to delay prison while finishing her degree at Johnson C. Smith University. Instead, she asked to begin serving her sentence sooner.
Brown represented Charlotte’s District 3 after winning election in 2023. She later lost her 2025 reelection bid in the Democratic primary.
The FBI investigated the case, and federal prosecutors in Charlotte handled the prosecution.
