Former Miami Gardens Police Officer Pleads Guilty to COVID-19 Relief Loan Fraud
Summary
A Southern District of Florida U.S. Attorney's Office release dated August 17, 2026: Alvin Bernard, 38, a former Miami Gardens Police Department officer, pleaded guilty to making a false statement to the SBA to obtain a $63,900 Economic Injury Disaster Loan. According to court records, while serving as an officer he was sole manager of Vanity Properties LLC and certified in an online application that the company had $127,881 in gross revenues for the 12 months before Jan. 31, 2020, when it had not earned them; the SBA then wired the $63,900 to the company's account. He faces a maximum of two years in federal prison. Under his plea agreement he agreed to resign from the department, surrender his Florida law enforcement certification and never seek recertification. The case number is 26-cr-20055.
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- Issuer
- U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of Florida
- Document type
- Press release
- Date
- 2026-08-17
Cite this document
“Former Miami Gardens Police Officer Pleads Guilty to COVID-19 Relief Loan Fraud.”
U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of Florida, dated 2026-08-17. Archived at Pandemic Darlings, https://pandemicdarlings.com/source-documents/doj-usao-sdfl-press-release-former-miami-gardens-police-officer-pleads-32c1f12611/
, SHA-256 ec9d3e637b0f3634abfb03aa29edcea324d880d1eb6aaf9ecfe18b0ab157e7d6.Full text
MIAMI – A former Miami Gardens Police Department (MGPD) officer has pleaded guilty to making a false statement to obtain a $63,900 Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) through a COVID-19 relief program administered by the Small Business Administration (SBA). Alvin Bernard, 38, of Miami Gardens, pleaded guilty to making a false statement to the SBA. “Alvin Bernard was a police officer sworn to uphold the law, yet he lied to obtain federal relief funds intended for businesses harmed by the pandemic,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones. “His guilty plea holds him accountable for abusing the public trust and stealing from a program funded by American taxpayers.” The EIDL program, established under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, provided financial assistance to qualifying businesses suffering economic injury during the COVID-19 pandemic. Applicants were required to certify, under penalty of perjury, that the information submitted — including the business’s gross revenues — was true and accurate. According to court records, Bernard was employed as a police officer with the MGPD while serving as the sole manager and authorized representative of Vanity Properties LLC. Acting on behalf of the company, Bernard submitted an online EIDL application that falsely represented Vanity Properties’ gross revenues in order to qualify for federal disaster assistance. Specifically, Bernard falsely certified that Vanity Properties generated $127,881 in gross revenues for the 12-month period preceding Jan. 31, 2020. In reality, the company had not earned those revenues. Based on the false information, the SBA approved and disbursed a $63,900 EIDL by electronic funds transfer into Vanity Properties’ bank account. Bernard faces a maximum sentence of two years in federal prison. As part of his plea agreement, he also agreed to resign from the MGPD, surrender his Florida law enforcement certification, and permanently refrain from seeking recertification. U.S. Attorney Reding Quiñones; Special Agent in Charge Brett Skiles of the FBI, Miami Field Office; Acting Special Agent in Charge Jason Xerri of the U.S. Small Business Administration Office of Inspector General (SBA OIG), Eastern Region; and Special Agent in Charge Michael Townsend of the U.S. Secret Service (USSS), Miami Field Office, made the announcement. FBI Miami, SBA OIG Eastern Region, and USSS Miami Field Office are investigating the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Edward N. Stamm is prosecuting the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian Zack is handling asset forfeiture. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov , under case number 26-cr-20055. ###
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- doj-usao-sdfl-press-release-former-miami-gardens-police-officer-pleads-guilty-covid-19-re-2026-08-17.json
- Size
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- SHA-256
- ec9d3e637b0f3634abfb03aa29edcea324d880d1eb6aaf9ecfe18b0ab157e7d6
- Original
- www.justice.gov