by Fox News congressional correspondent Chad Pergram has the details from Capitol Hill on Cavuto: Coast to Coast.
A Miami woman faces federal charges after fraudulently receiving COVID-19 relief and using the funds to fund a luxurious lifestyle.
Daniela Rendon, 31, allegedly falsified her earnings and payslip and filed fraudulent IRS tax forms to receive COVID-19 relief from the Small Business Administration. She received approximately $381,000 in fraudulent funds from the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and the Economic Injury Disaster Relief Program (EIDL).
According to the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida, Rendon “allegedly used the fraudulently obtained funds to lease a 2021 Bentley Bentayga, rent a luxury apartment in Biscayne Bay, pay cosmetic dermatology manufacturers and refinish her designer shoes.” “
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The Miami, Florida skyline with palm trees in the foreground. (iStock / iStock)
The US attorney’s press release further states that Rendon allegedly registered with a payroll processor to issue fraudulent payslips for himself, family members and friends.
The federal indictment charges Rendon with seven counts of wire fraud, two counts of money laundering and one count of aggravated identity theft. If convicted, she faces up to 20 years in prison, although a sentence would be determined by a federal judge based on sentencing guidelines and other legal factors.
Congress and federal agencies are trying to crack down on billions of dollars in fraudulent COVID-19 aid, which was the focus of a House hearing this week.
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The Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program were among the federal pandemic relief efforts that proved vulnerable to fraud. (iStock)
Programs like the PPP, set up to help small businesses while COVID-19 was causing widespread economic chaos, and the EIDL, a pre-existing corporate disaster relief program, have been prime targets for scammers with billions of dollars pouring in from them the first months of the pandemic.
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that these programs and the federally enhanced unemployment benefit program “did not consistently employ best practices to manage fraud risks in COVID-19 spending, including designating fraud prevention agencies, assessing fraud risks, or developing fraud prevention strategies.” . “
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Several government agencies are working to investigate reports of fraud in pandemic programs and recover as much of the ill-gotten funds from scammers as possible.
These entities include the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee (PRAC), made up of federal inspectors general and adjunct collaborators, and existing entities such as the Secret Service, which has been reported to be involved in collecting about $3 billion in fraudulent unemployment benefits and more has helped raise $1 billion in EIDL funding.
Fox News’ David Spunt contributed to this report.
