Windermere Woman Charged With COVID Relief Fraud

Summary

A press release of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Florida dated Friday, January 17, 2025, announcing the filing of a criminal complaint charging Carolina Amesty, 30, of Windermere, with two counts of theft of government property related to COVID relief fraud. It states that each count carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison and that a criminal complaint is merely an allegation. The release states that the case is being investigated by the U.S. Small Business Administration Office of Inspector General and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and describes the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force established by the Attorney General in May 2021. It was announced by United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg.

Summary drafted by a model from the document's text below and checked by script against that text before publication. It is a navigation aid, not a reading of what the document proves. Where AI is used

Full text

Press Release

Windermere Woman Charged With COVID Relief Fraud

Friday, January 17, 2025

For Immediate Release

U.S. Attorney's Office, Middle District of Florida

Orlando, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the filing of a criminal complaint charging Carolina Amesty (30, Windermere) with two counts of theft of government property related to COVID relief fraud. Each count carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison.

A criminal complaint is merely an allegation that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.

This case is being investigated by the U.S. Small Business Administration–Office of Inspector General and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Megan Testerman and Diane Hu.

In May 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Justice Department in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The task force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the department’s response to the pandemic, visit www.justice.gov/coronavirus.

Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by contacting the Justice Department’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.

Updated January 17, 2025

Topics

Coronavirus

Disaster Fraud

Component

USAO - Florida, Middle

File and source

File: usao-mdfl-pr-windermere-woman-charged-covid-relief-fraud.html
Size: 99,637 bytes
SHA-256: 733415ee39441051836addf4989720e6cfb5013506ecdae87cd537c93e528cd7
Our copy: usao-mdfl-pr-windermere-woman-charged-covid-relief-fraud.html
Original: www.justice.gov