Father and daughter convicted of financial fraud related to pandemic relief funds, public housing (2024-02-06)

Summary

A news release published February 6, 2024, announcing that a father and daughter, India Cook and Rodney Cook of Cincinnati, have each been convicted of federal crimes related to financial fraud. The release states that India Cook pleaded guilty to four counts of making false statements on COVID-relief loan applications, and that Rodney Cook pleaded guilty in August 2023 to two counts of making false statements on COVID-relief loan applications and Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) documents. According to court documents, India Cook received nearly $144,000 in fraudulent loans, and Rodney Cook received and fraudulently spent more than $205,000 in EIDL and PPP loans. The release says Rodney Cook was sentenced in January 2024 to pay full restitution, a $7,500 court fine and three years of probation.

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Full text

CINCINNATI – A father and daughter have each been convicted of federal crimes related to financial fraud.
India Cook, 37, of Cincinnati, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court today to four counts of making false statements on COVID-relief loan applications.
Rodney Cook, 56, of Cincinnati, pleaded guilty in August 2023 to two counts of making false statements on COVID-relief loan applications and Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) documents.
According to court documents, in 2020 and 2021, India Cook filed fraudulent applications for COVID-19 Economic Injury Disaster loans (EIDL) and Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans.
Specifically, she submitted applications that were false and contradicted each other for several different companies, including C&H Tax Service, ADMR Shoes, Tax Lab LLC and Care 4 U. India Cook ultimately received nearly $144,000 in fraudulent loans.
Rodney Cook prepared and submitted an application for AMP Clothing LLC (his daughter’s company) to receive pandemic related funds. AMP Clothing was not operating and did not have any employees or revenue at the time. He ultimately received and fraudulently spent more than $205,000 in EIDL and PPP loans.
In a separate scheme, Cook purchased rental properties through a Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) program that was exclusively for owner-occupants who planned to live in the purchased property. Cook used “straw buyers” to purchase HUD properties in Cincinnati that he then rented out.
Rodney Cook was sentenced in January 2024 to pay full restitution, a $7,500 court fine and to serve three years of probation. India Cook will be sentenced at a later date.
Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Karen Wingerd, Acting Special Agent in Charge, Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI); the department of Housing and Urban Development-Office of Inspector General (HUD-OIG) and Cincinnati Police Chief Theresa A. Theetge announced the guilty plea entered today before U.S. District Judge Jeffery P. Hopkins. Assistant United States Attorney Timothy S. Mangan is representing the United States in this case.
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