A Gaithersburg man changed course on the first day of his federal trial, pleading guilty to bank fraud tied to fraudulent COVID-19 relief loans and admitting he tried to obstruct a grand jury investigation.
Eric Tano Tataw, 39, pled guilty in federal court to bank fraud involving multiple Paycheck Protection Program loans connected to his company, National Telegraph, LLC. He also admitted to attempting to obstruct justice by providing fabricated documents to a subpoenaed witness and instructing her to present them to a federal grand jury.
According to prosecutors, Tataw carried out the fraud scheme between April 2020 and May 2021, targeting both a financial institution and the U.S. Small Business Administration. He sought two PPP loans by inflating employee counts and payroll figures, and by submitting false earnings statements for individuals who did not work for the company.
Investigators say he also submitted falsified tax documents in support of the applications. Through the scheme, Tataw obtained $163,302 in PPP funds, which he largely used for personal expenses. He also attempted to secure an additional $150,000 through a fraudulent Economic Injury Disaster Loan application by overstating the company’s revenue. In total, he admitted intending to defraud more than $313,000.
The case expanded in August 2023 after a federal grand jury subpoenaed a witness connected to the business. Prosecutors say Tataw later met the witness at a laundromat in Landover, where he handed her falsified earnings statements and instructed her to present them to the grand jury as proof of employment.
He also provided a blank W-2 form and directed her to amend her tax filings to falsely reflect income from National Telegraph, actions prosecutors say were intended to interfere with the grand jury’s investigation.
Tataw now faces up to 30 years in federal prison on the bank fraud charge, though sentencing will be determined by a federal judge based on guidelines and other factors.
Separately, Tataw is facing another federal indictment alleging he conspired to provide material support to armed separatist groups in Cameroon and made threats involving harm or kidnapping of civilians. That case remains pending.
Federal authorities credited investigators from Homeland Security Investigations, the Diplomatic Security Service, and the FBI Baltimore Field Office, along with federal prosecutors, for their roles in the case.
