Bad sports in 'rip-off'
Athletes & nobodies stole COV-relief $$: feds
These alleged COVID crooks are getting a jab of justice.
Nearly $100 billion of COVID relief funds have been fraudulently obtained across the US since the pandemic began, the Secret Service announced Tuesday, adding that there are almost 1,000 separate probes into startling scams.
Two high-profile athletes have been charged, as well as plenty of “average Joe” alleged scammers who spent relief dough on frivolous purchases such as flashy cars or rare, five-figure Pokémon cards.
Some suspects posted online pics of themselves flaunting cash.
Here are some of the most noteworthy alleged rip-offs:
Bronze medalist Allison Marie Baver
The 41-year-old former Olympic speedskater — who medaled with the US women’s 3,000-meter relay team at the 2010 Vancouver Games — was brought up last week on money-laundering charges and eight counts of making false statements to banks after allegedly defrauding the government out of an estimated $10 million in COVID funds, according to the Utah US Attorney’s Office.
Baver applied for eight Paycheck Protection Program loans in April 2020 for her production company, Allison Baver Entertainment, which she founded in 2019 after she retired from competition.
Baver allegedly claimed she had a monthly payroll of $4.7 million, but she actually had none at all, according to court documents.
She could face 40 years in prison if convicted on all counts, according to KTSU. She is due for arraignment on Jan. 18.
Ex-Jet Kenbrell Thompkins
The former NFL wide receiver pleaded guilty to one count of unauthorized access-device fraud (the theft of banking or credit cards) and one count of aggravated identity fraud last October. He allegedly stole the identities of several Florida residents to apply for COVID unemployment benefits in California.
Thompkins got $300,000 in debit cards under false pretenses, which were sent to a South Florida address he was using, according to The Associated Press.
Thompkins — who played for the Jets in 2015 — is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 6 and faces up to 12 years in prison.
Living large on a “scam”
Leon Miles, 51, was arrested for allegedly collecting about $2 million in PPP funds that allegedly fueled a lust for luxury cars, according to federal prosecutors.
After a forgivable loan of $1,904,593 hit Miles’ personal bank account, he withdrew hundreds of thousands in the upcoming days, spending $250,000 on a 2020 white Bentley Continental that he posed with on Instagram and $100,000 on a 2020 Cadillac Es ca lade, the feds allege.
The loan was approved after Miles claimed that he had a monthly payroll of $768,838, court papers state.
In reality, Miles had no taxable income, his company hadn’t filed a single tax return, and reported no wage payments in 2019.
If convicted, Miles could do 30 years in the slammer.
Flashing cash and cars
The advice, “be careful what you post on social media,” has come back to bite these Brooklyn buddies.
Bryan Abraham, 18, Carlos Vazquez, 20, Angel Cabrera, 18, Gianni Stewart, 19, Andre Ruddock, 25, Seth Golding, 18, Armani Miller, 24, and Johan Santos, 19, were indicted in federal court in May for conspiracy to commit access-device fraud, allegedly stealing $2 million in COVID funds with which they allegedly posed in photos they posted online.
According to court papers, after stealing personal information from people in COVID-assistance programs, the group allegedly began funneling cash into their own bank accounts and withdrew the money throughout Brooklyn and Queens from June 2020 to April 2021.
Rip-off in the cards
Vinath Oudomsine of Dublin, Ga., was arrested after using $57,789 of his Economic Injury Disaster Loan to buy an exclusive Pokémon card, according to federal court papers from October.
He is accused of falsely applying for the EIDL small-biz loan in July 2020, stating he had been operating a company since 2018 with $235,000 in revenue and 10 employees on payroll.
In good faith, the Small Business Administration then deposited $85,000 into his bank account just a month later.
Oudomsine could do 20 years in federal prison and faces fines as high as $250,000.
Prison watch
In November, Lee Price III, a 30year-old Texas man, was sentenced to over nine years in prison after using $1.6 million in relief money to buy a Lamborghini Urus, a Ford F-350 truck and a Rolex watch, according to the Department of Justice.