Georgia man who used COVID relief funds to buy Pokemon card sentenced to prison
Summary
Vinath Oudomsine, 31, of Dublin, Georgia, was sentenced to 36 months in prison after pleading guilty to one count of wire fraud, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Georgia announced on March 7, 2022. U.S. District Court Judge Dudley H. Bowen also imposed a $10,000 fine, $85,000 in restitution and three years of supervised release. Starting on or around July 2020, Oudomsine applied for an Economic Injury Disaster Loan for an 'entertainment services' business claimed to have 10 employees and gross revenues of $235,000, and the SBA deposited $85,000 on Aug. 4, 2020. Oudomsine used $57,789 of the funds to buy a Pokémon trading card, 'Charizard', and agreed to forfeit it.
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Press Release Georgia man who used COVID relief funds to buy Pokemon card sentenced to prison Monday, March 7, 2022 For Immediate Release U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of Georgia Sentence includes payment of $85,000 in restitution DUBLIN, GA: A Laurens County, Georgia man has been sentenced to federal prison after admitting he lied to obtain a COVID-19 disaster relief loan, then used a large portion of the money to buy a collectible trading card. Vinath Oudomsine , 31, of Dublin, Ga., was sentenced to 36 months in prison after pleading guilty to one count of Wire Fraud, said David H. Estes, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. U.S. District Court Judge Dudley H. Bowen also fined Oudomsine $10,000, ordered him to pay restitution of $85,000, and to serve three years of supervised release after completion of his prison term. There is no parole in the federal system. “Congress appropriated funding to assist small businesses struggling through the challenges of a global pandemic,” said U.S. Attorney Estes. “Like moths to the flame, fraudsters like Oudomsine took advantage of these programs to line their own pockets – and with our law enforcement partners, we are holding him and others accountable for their greed.” As described in court documents and testimony, starting on or around July 2020, Oudomsine applied to the Small Business Administration (SBA) for an Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) ostensibly for an “entertainment services” business in Dublin that Oudomsine claimed had 10 employees and gross revenues of $235,000 in the 12 months preceding the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result of fraudulent representations on Oudomsine’s application, the SBA deposited $85,000 into Oudomsine’s bank account on Aug. 4, 2020. Oudomsine later used $57,789 of the funds to purchase a Pokémon trading card. Oudomsine agreed to forfeit the Pokémon card – “Charizard” – as part of the prosecution. “The SBA Office of Inspector General continues to safeguard taxpayer dollars by protecting SBA programs from fraudsters seeking to gain access to pandemic assistance through deception,” said SBA OIG’s Special Agent in Charge Amaleka McCall-Brathwaite. “OIG remains committed to rooting out bad actors and protecting the integrity of SBA programs. I want to thank the U.S. Attorney’s Office and our law enforcement partners for their dedication and pursuit of justice.” “COVID-19 disaster relief loans are issued by the government to help businesses struggling to survive during a pandemic, not to use for trivial collectible items,” said Philip Wislar, Acting Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “This sentence highlights the FBI’s commitment to aggressively pursue anyone who would abuse taxpayer dollars and divert them from citizens who desperately need them.” Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form . The Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Small Business Administration Office of Inspector General, and an investigator from the U.S. Attorney’s Office investigated the case. Oudomsine was prosecuted for the United States by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jonathan A. Porter and Patrick J. Schwedler, and Asset Recovery Unit Chief Xavier A. Cunningham handled forfeiture in the case. Contact Barry L. Paschal, Public Affairs Officer: 912-652-4422 Updated March 7, 2022 Topics COVID-Related Fraud Disaster Fraud Components Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) USAO - Georgia, Southern Press Release Number: 32-22 Related Content Press Release Behavioral therapist pleads guilty to health care fraud for submitting inflated insurance reimbursement claims The owner of a McDuffie County behavioral therapy service faces up to 10 years in federal prison and substantial financial penalties after pleading guilty to submitting fraudulent insurance reimbursement claims. April 14, 2026 Press Release South Carolina woman sentenced to prison for multi-state unemployment insurance fraud A South Carolina woman was sentenced to prison and ordered to pay substantial restitution for her role in a multi-state scheme to fraudulently obtain unemployment insurance benefits. March 18, 2026 Press Release Richmond County woman sentenced to federal prison for defrauding pandemic relief program A Richmond County woman has been sentenced to federal prison and ordered to pay restitution for defrauding a COVID-19 small business relief program. December 10, 2024
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