CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WBTV) – A former Charlotte City Council member announced a new business days before she was sentenced to prison on a federal wire fraud charge.
The ex-council member, Tiawana Brown, was sentenced to 10 months in prison at the federal courthouse in Charlotte on Tuesday, Sept. 22. The sentence was issued after Brown pleaded guilty to the fraud charge during a February court appearance.
Federal prosecutors alleged Brown and her two daughters conspired from 2020-2021 to defraud the Small Business Administration (SBA) out of COVID relief money. Prosecutors said Brown and her daughters fraudulently obtained at least $146,665 after they submitted at least 13 applications for Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) or Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) funds.
Prosecutors claimed that instead of using the money for qualifying expenses, Brown and her daughters used the funds for personal use — including to throw a $15,000 birthday party.
“These [relief] programs [were] set up at a time of great desperation for a lot of people,” Judge Kenneth Bell, who sentenced Brown, said in a news release. “The public is tired of being ripped off.”
While Brown received the 10-month prison sentence, Bell sentenced her daughters to probation.
Just days before they were sentenced, Brown announced a new business on Facebook on Wednesday, Sept. 16.
In the post, Brown said she and one of her daughters launched BBSJ Logistics — a transportation and logistics company. State records showed the business was registered as an LLC on Sept. 2. Brown’s daughter was listed as the registered agent with Brown as a managing member.
Brown served one term on the Charlotte City Council after winning her District 3 seat in 2023. She was ousted in the September 2025 primary, when current Councilmember Joi Mayo beat her.
She previously spent time in prison in the 1990s on fraud charges, and did not resign from her city council seat following her May 2025 indictment. She continued on the council until her term expired near the end of 2025.
In addition to the prison sentence, Brown and her daughters were also ordered pay back about $137,000 in restitution to the Small Business Administration. As of the sentencing date, Brown had already paid back $20,833.
Tiawana Brown was sentenced to 10 months in prison on Tuesday, Sept. 22.(WBTV)Previous Tiawana Brown coverage:
Watch continuous news coverage here:
Copyright 2026 WBTV. All rights reserved.