She called herself Grant Bae and appeared in online chats alongside well-known entrepreneurial influencers. She said she had years of experience in grant writing and could help struggling minority-owned businesses secure much-needed money during the pandemic.
For this, Traeshonna Graham, of Lake City, Fla., collected thousands in fees, but dozens of clients say she never delivered. Now, the Federal Trade Commission and authorities in Florida have moved to shut Grant Bae down, saying the business was all a COVID-19 scam.
“These scammers targeted minority-owned businesses and misused public funds meant to support honest businesses during the pandemic,” said Samuel Levine, the director of the FTC’s bureau of consumer protection.
In all, the FTC said at least 100 businesses were defrauded as part of the scam.
Messages left for Graham, who court documents said is representing herself, were not immediately returned.
Investigators say Graham created C. Lee Enterprises, LLC in 2020, operating it publicly as Grant Bae and marketing herself online as an experienced grant writer focused on helping small businesses find needed funds during the chaotic early days of the pandemic.
Targeting minority-run businesses, Graham appeared as Shonna Williams on panels alongside well-known entrepreneur advisors on platforms like Clubhouse.
“I heard her speak in a virtual room where the speakers focused on business development advice,”…
