The Promise of Capital, The Reality of Deceit

Since at least October 2020, Treashonna P. Graham cultivated an online persona as “The Grant Bae,” an expert dedicated to helping minority-owned small businesses secure vital funding. Through her company, C Lee Enterprises LLC, she operated a multi-faceted marketing campaign across social media platforms like Instagram and Clubhouse, and on her website, GrantBae.com.

The pitch was simple and powerful. It targeted entrepreneurs historically denied access to capital. The company claimed its services were “designed to help minority small businesses eliminate the stress and headache of running a small business with the lack of capital.” Graham positioned herself as a peer who had overcome the same obstacles, claiming over a decade of entrepreneurial experience and eight years mastering the “gift” of grant writing. This narrative was deployed in spaces designed to build trust, including empowerment meetings following the death of George Floyd and on Black news outlets.

The Non-Financial Ledger: Betraying Hope

The damage from this operation extends beyond lost fees. It represents a profound betrayal of trust within communities that are systematically underserved. For a small business owner, every dollar counts. A fee of $2,000 or $5,000 is often the entirety of their working capital, money scraped together in the hope of building something lasting.

While Defendants represent to these businesses that Grant Bae’s mission is to assist them… Grant Bae’s true purpose is to enrich Defendants at the expense of unsuspecting business owners.

The complaint, filed by the FTC and the Florida Attorney General, alleges that this was a predatory operation. It took the ambition and hope of minority entrepreneurs and converted it into personal enrichment for its founders. The victims were left without the money they paid and without the capital they were guaranteed, setting them back even further than where they started. Graham’s own words reveal a chilling attitude toward her clients, stating she would “block anyone and everyone who feels that they are investing their money in a scam.”

Legal Receipts: A Foundation of Lies

The government’s complaint lays out a series of false and misleading claims that formed the backbone of the “Grant Bae” enterprise. Graham’s public persona was built on a history that the legal documents dismantle piece by piece.

“Contrary to Defendant Graham’s false claims, she does not have 8 years of experience developing the ‘gift’ of grant writing. In fact, she has little to no experience either writing grant applications or securing grant money.” Case 3:22-cv-00655-MMH-JBT, Page 9

The complaint further states that Graham’s last known employment before starting Grant Bae was at a Krystal fast-food restaurant in late 2018. In January 2021, she began a three-year probation term for two felony counts of theft related to stealing cash deposits from that job. The entire “Grant Bae” enterprise appears to have been launched with fraudulently obtained capital.

“On June 30, 2020, Defendant Graham filed Articles of Organization to establish Defendant C Lee Enterprises. Less than a month later, on July 22, 2020, C Lee Enterprises was approved for a forgivable $8,013 loan under the Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”)… On August 5, 2020, Graham individually was approved for a $22,990 PPP loan as an ‘independent contractor.'” Case 3:22-cv-00655-MMH-JBT, Page 10

These COVID-19 relief funds, meant to stabilize legitimate small businesses, allegedly became the seed money for a nationwide deception.

Societal Impact Mapping

Economic Inequality

The “Grant Bae” scheme functions as a mechanism for wealth extraction from the very communities it claimed to serve. By targeting minority-owned businesses, the operation actively widened the economic gap. Entrepreneurs who paid fees lost precious capital that could have been used for inventory, marketing, or payroll. This is a direct drain on the economic vitality of marginalized communities and reinforces systemic barriers to wealth creation.

Public Health and Emergency Funds

The use of over $31,000 in PPP loans to establish the business is a key element of the case. These funds were part of a massive government effort to mitigate the economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic. The complaint alleges these public funds were diverted from their intended purpose of saving jobs and businesses to instead capitalize an operation that preyed on other struggling entrepreneurs.

The Implausible Math

The business model, as described in public statements, was a mathematical impossibility. The government complaint breaks it down: Grant Bae claimed to have 8,200 clients and twelve grant writers. To fulfill just the basic package promise (four grants per client per year), the team would need to produce a minimum of 32,800 successful grant applications annually.

This means each of the twelve writers would have to successfully write 2,733 grants per year, or about 52.5 grants every single week. An experienced grant writer typically takes 15-25 hours per application. To meet their own stated goals, each writer would need to work a minimum of 788 hours per week. There are only 168 hours in a week. The promises were impossible to fulfill from the start.

What Now?

The legal process against this operation is underway, brought by federal and state regulators. The case number is 3:22-cv-00655-MMH-JBT in the Middle District of Florida. This is a reminder that predators often wrap themselves in the language of community empowerment. Real empowerment comes from collective action and vigilance.

• CORPORATE ENTITIES ON WATCH: C Lee Enterprises LLC (d/b/a Grant Bae), RFNF Trucking LLC, A Pot and Two Windows LLC.
• INDIVIDUALS ON WATCH: Treashonna P. Graham, Joey L. Williams.
• REGULATORY WATCHLIST: Federal Trade Commission (FTC), State Attorneys General. These agencies rely on consumer complaints to identify and prosecute fraud.
• GRASSROOTS RESISTANCE: Build and rely on mutual aid networks. Before paying for any service promising access to capital, vet the provider within your community. Ask for references and verify their success stories independently. Support legitimate, often non-profit, small business development centers that provide real guidance without predatory fees. Your greatest defense is a connected and informed community.