Louisville woman pleads guilty to federal charges for defrauding customers

Date: March 2, 2026

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Louisville, KY - A Louisville woman pled guilty on February 19, 2026, to defrauding over 50 customers in connection with her pool business.

U.S. Attorney Kyle G. Bumgarner of the Western District of Kentucky, Jefferson County Commonwealth's Attorney Gerina D. Whethers, Special Agent in Charge Karen Wingerd of the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, Cincinnati Field Office, and Special Agent in Charge Olivia Olson of the FBI Louisville Field Office made the announcement.

According to court documents, Tracy Davenport of Louisville and others working in her direction, engaged in a scheme to induce customers into signing a contract for a pool installation and paying a large down payment up front. Davenport used those funds for purposes other than what was agreed upon.

Davenport pled guilty to wire fraud, bankruptcy fraud, and money laundering in a nineteen count Indictment. She is scheduled to be sentenced on May 20, 2026, at 10:30 a.m. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Additionally, Davenport will be required to pay not less than $3,398,536.75 in restitution.

United States Attorney Kyle Bumgarner stated, "This fraudulent conduct had a significant financial and emotional impact on many people. This defendant created numerous truly innocent victims who worked hard and, in some cases, worked their entire lives to be able to purchase a pool only have their money stolen. I am thankful to our law enforcement partners for everyone's contributions toward attempting to right this wrong."

"I want to applaud the extensive and outstanding work of the United States Attorney's Office for the Western District of Kentucky. The continued support of our local, state, and federal law enforcement partners towards this case is a testament to what can be achieved through strong partnerships. These collaborations were all instrumental in this case's resolution," said Commonwealth's Attorney Gerina D. Whethers. "I also want to particularly commend Commonwealth Attorney's Detective Michael Smithers, who was instrumental in ensuring justice was served. His pursuit of this effort was over and beyond his day-to-day duties with us. His dedication to the victims in this case ensured the tools were there for this prosecution to be done at the federal level."

There is no parole in the federal system.

This case is being investigated by the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation and the FBI Louisville Office, with assistance from the Louisville Metro Police Department, the Jefferson County Commonwealth Attorney's Office, and the United States Trustee's Office for the Western District of Kentucky.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicole Elver, of the U.S. Attorney's Office, is prosecuting the case.

IRS-CI is the law enforcement arm of the IRS, responsible for conducting financial crime investigations, including tax fraud, narcotics trafficking, money laundering, public corruption, healthcare fraud, identity theft and more. It is the only federal law enforcement agency with investigative jurisdiction over violations of the Internal Revenue Code. IRS-CI has 18 field offices located across the U.S. and maintains an international presence through attaché posts abroad.