A former federal employee and two other women have pleaded guilty in COVID-19 pandemic fraud cases, according to prosecutors.
Rena Barrett, a former Small Business Administration (SBA) loan officer, pleaded guilty on Aug. 11 to making false statements to the agency in connection with applications for more than $550,000 in fraudulent COVID-19 pandemic loans, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia.
Barrett, 45, of Covington, became an SBA employee in October 2020. In May 2021, she submitted a fraudulent Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) application for $170,000, prosecutors said.
SBA declined to approve the loan. Two months later, Barrett approved it herself.
The agency soon discovered that Barrett had abused her position by approving the loan and other loans she or her relatives submitted.
Prosecutors said Barrett received nearly half of the approximately $550,000 she sought. She resigned from the SBA after her actions were discovered.
“The Economic Injury Disaster Loan program provided critical relief to small businesses and supported our economy during the COVID-19 pandemic,” Theodore S. Hertzberg, U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Georgia, said in a statement. “It is intolerable that Barrett—who was entrusted to process loans for desperate small businesses—placed her personal greed ahead of doing her job honestly. With the help of our law enforcement partners, we are committed to rooting out and punishing government employees who betray the public’s trust.” --->READ MORE HERE
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Three men were sentenced after stealing more than $500,000 in COVID-19 unemployment assistance funds.
Kamaldeen Karaole, 24, of Indianapolis, was charged with aggravated identity theft, conspiracy to commit access device fraud and access device fraud. He was sentenced to four years and three months in prison, with two years of supervised release.
Johnson Omodusonu, 24, of Indianapolis, was charged with conspiracy to commit access device fraud and access device fraud. He was sentenced to two years in prison, with two years of supervised release.
Stephen Olamigoke, 23, of Nigeria, was charged with conspiracy to commit access device fraud and access device fraud. He was sentenced to two and a half years in prison, with two years of supervised release. When Olamigoke finishes his sentence, he will be removed from the United States.
The men stole a total of $520,910, which the United States Department of Justice says each of them will have to pay back in restitution. The money they stole came from various state and federal unemployment programs.
Karaole, Omodusonu and Olamigoke stole 168 Unemployment Insurance (UI) debit cards, and the PIN numbers associated with those, between August and October 2020.
The cards, from California, Arizona and Nevada, were being periodically loaded with benefits — and didn't belong to any of them. --->READ MORE HEREFollow links below to relevant/related stories and resources:
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