WVU Alumni
Former Mountaineer Wendell Smallwood Accused of Defrauding COVID-19 Relief Programs
A former Mountaineer has been charged with defrauding federal COVID-19 relief programs, according to court documents obtained by CBS Philadelphia.
Wendell Smallwood Jr., who played at WVU from 2013-15 and won a Super Bowl with the Eagles, was charged with three felonies — wire fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and conspiracy to defraud the Internal Revenue Service. If convicted, he could face up to 50 years in prison.
Wendell Smallwood Jr., a former NFL running back who won a Super Bowl with the Eagles, has been charged with defrauding federal COVID-19 relief programs, court documents show. https://t.co/9NPblGuAkt
— CBS Philadelphia (@CBSPhiladelphia) November 21, 2024
Federal prosecutors allege Smallwood defrauded government agencies by submitting false information in an effort to receive a significant amount of money in payments to businesses he ran.
Smallwood is also being accused with defrauding COVID-19 relief programs and lying to tax authorities.
According to the court documents obtained by CBS Philadelphia, Smallwood applied for COVID-19 Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) using “defunct or recently registered businesses and claimed false business operations” in applications to the Small Business Administration.
The report says he submitted false information to the Paycheck Protection Program as well.
In three seasons at West Virginia, Smallwood played in 38 games and rushed for 2,462 yards and 12 touchdowns on 425 carries. He had a breakout season as a junior in 2015, when he rushed for 1,519 yards and averaged 6.4 yards per carry.
After college, Smallwood spent three seasons in Philadelphia after being drafted by the Eagles in the fifth round of the 2016 NFL Draft. He played in 37 games for Philadelphia, making nine starts and rushed for a combined 840 yards on 211 carries and scored eight total touchdowns. Smallwood also spent time with the then Washington Redskins, Pittsburgh Steelers and Jacksonville Jaguars.
