A federal grand jury in Wilmington, Delaware, had previously returned indictments against Devlon Porter, a South Carolina resident, and Amber Baldwin, an Oregon resident, on charges arising from a coordinated scheme to exploit Paycheck Protection Program funds during the COVID-19 pandemic [1]. The case proceeded to trial before the United States District Court for the District of Delaware on charges of conspiracy to commit bank fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering [1].
On May 21, 2026, the jury returned guilty verdicts against both defendants [1]. Porter was convicted on both counts, conspiracy to commit bank fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering [1][2]. Baldwin was convicted on the money laundering conspiracy count [1][2]. Prosecutors established that Porter and Baldwin submitted fraudulent PPP loan applications on behalf of businesses that had no actual employees, supporting those applications with fabricated tax documents to obtain approximately $9.1 million in pandemic relief funds [1][2]. The scheme involved participants operating across multiple states, with neither defendant located in Delaware, reflecting the geographic reach that federal pandemic enforcement actions have repeatedly encountered [1].
Both defendants face statutory maximum sentences on the conspiracy counts, though no sentencing date has been publicly scheduled as of the verdict date [1]. The Justice Department's U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Delaware, through prosecutor Bryan C. Williamson, handled trial for the government [1]. The convictions are part of a continued federal enforcement push targeting fraudulent PPP applications submitted during the pandemic relief period, a category of prosecution that has produced cases across multiple districts since 2020 [1][2].