An alleged seven-figure fraud scheme was even said to dupe the White House as a past administration honored a recently arrested woman who claimed to be an African ambassador.
Be they asylum seekers or COVID cons, ongoing investigations have turned up billions of dollars’ worth of fraud under the administration of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. Now, a Michigan woman to whom they gave a lifetime achievement award has been arrested after allegedly stealing about $1 million from at least eight victims as part of her scheme that claimed $350 million in assets.
Distilling the details, Libs of TikTok shared images from court documents and wrote, “Shannon Monet Steel, a Michigan woman who was honored by Joe Biden in 2024, was just ARRESTED for allegedly stealing over $1 MILLION from victims. According to court documents, Steel LIED about being an ambassador, a successful business owner, and a banker.”
“She reportedly used these fake personas to help falsify documents and steal large amounts of money,” continued the post that concluded, “All fraudsters must be held accountable.”
Shannon Monet Steel, a Michigan woman who was honored by Joe Biden in 2024, was just ARRESTED for allegedly stealing over $1 MILLION from victims.
According to court documents, Steel LIED about being an ambassador, a successful business owner, and a banker.
She reportedly used… pic.twitter.com/GKM8GkKQ1a
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) October 2, 2026
Within the criminal complaint filed in late August, the court documents explained that Steel claimed to be the Ambassador to the First Lady of the Central African Republic, along with being a hotel owner and the owner of Steel Private Bank. According to the Detroit News, she claimed that the bank had $350 million in assets as, between 2022 and 2026, she convinced her victims that millions in loans would come after they deposited large sums into escrow.
Allegedly, she conned her first victim, a California investor, by forging a fake “Bank confirmation letter” from Deutsche Bank attesting to her nine-figure balance. The ruse convinced him to deposit $200,000 into an escrow account which Steel was said to have pocketed.
As to how she used her victims’ money, Steel allegedly paid off credit card debt, rented a home, and luxury vehicles like a 2013 Bentley Coupe and a 2022 Maserati Levante.
Court documents highlighted some of the claims made by Steel, including quoting her Shannon Steel Foundation website that stated, “As the newly appointed Ambassador for the First Lady of C.A.R. NGO on a mission to eradicate poverty, I am committed to developing economic stability in the Central African Republic by providing the necessary essentials to its citizens.”
“My top priority is to represent the country’s history, ideals, and interests. To do so, I am aware of the expectations and will strive to meet them to the best of my ability,” the site further read.
As to the Lifetime Presidential Achievement Award, a footnote in the criminal complaint made note that the program was suspended by AmeriCorps over concerns “regarding fraud and lack of proper program oversight,” but not before zero documentation was presented to support the claim that Steel had completed 4,000 hours of volunteer service necessary to obtain the honor from Biden and Harris.
Reactions to the arrest saw it as more of an indictment of the Biden-Harris administration, deeming it “one big fraud.”
The Biden presidency was one big fraud. Everything they touched turned to crap. Criminals were running the country.
— Jan Couch (@Jabbo2021) October 2, 2026
One thief honoring another. Is this what they mean by “honor among thieves?” 🤡🤣
— Johnson Ning (@jzningy) October 2, 2026
Scratch a leftist hero, find a money laundering criminal.
— Veritas B0$$ (@B0SSH066) October 2, 2026
Honored by the fraud president who presided over the invasion and subsequent destruction of the fabric of our society all the while sitting behind a toy desk. How fitting.
— Robert Lapinski (@RobLaArizonaSJB) October 2, 2026
Imagine what we could achieve by arresting criminals and sentencing them and taking what they have stolen to return to the victims.
— Casey Whiteclaw (@CaseyWhiteclaw) October 3, 2026
Native of Brooklyn, NY, Kevin Haggerty is a graduate of Hunter College where he studied Cultural Anthropology and Geography. An avid reader and truth seeker, he currently resides in Texas with his wife and their dog and, when he isn't researching current events and their impacts, you'll find him spending time with friends and family or working on his next novel.
Comment
We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, profanity, vulgarity, doxing, or discourteous behavior. If a comment is spam, instead of replying to it please click the ∨ icon below and to the right of that comment. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain fruitful conversation.