In Georgia, Vinath Oudomsine was arrested in federal prison after revealing that he lied about the COVID-19 disaster relief loan. He then used a large amount of it to buy a collectable trading card (Pokémon).
The U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia, David H. Estes mentioned the resident of Dublin, Ga., has been sentenced to 36 months in prison after he pleaded guilty to one count of Wire Fraud.
Moreover, the U.S. District Court Judge Dudley H. Bowen also fined the 31-year-old $10,000, and they ordered him to pay the whole amount he has spent of $85,000 and serve three years of supervised release after completion of his prison term.
The U.S. Attorney Estes mentioned, “Congress appropriated funding to assist small businesses struggling through the challenges of a global pandemic. Like moths to the flame, cheaters like Oudomsine took benefit of these programs to line their own pockets – and with our law enforcement partners, we are holding him and others accountable for their greed.”
As per the documents provided by the court, Oudomsine applied to the Small Business Administration (SBA) for an Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) clearly for an “entertainment services” business in Dublin that the 31-year-old claimed had ten employees as well as the gross revenues of $235,000 in around 12 months preceding the COVID-19 pandemic.
On August 4, 2020, because of the fraudulent actions on the application of Oudomsine, the SBA deposited $85,000 into Oudomsine’s bank account.
Afterwards, he used $57,789 of the amount of the funds to purchase a Pokémon trading card. Oudomsine has given the approval that he will “Charizard” back the whole amount he has spent.
The SBA OIG’s Special Agent in Charge Amaleka McCall-Brathwaite stated, “The SBA Office of Inspector General continues to safeguard taxpayer dollars by protecting SBA programs from fraudsters seeking to gain access to pandemic assistance through deception. OIG remains to carry out rooting out bad actors as well as protecting the integrity of SBA programs. I want to show my gratitude to the U.S. Attorney’s Office and our law enforcement partners for their dedication and pursuit of justice.”
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