There have been dozens of people caught for spending COVID-19 relief loans on unnecessary items, like a Lamborghini, but a Georgia man may have topped that purchase by spending about two-thirds of his loans on a single Pokémon card.
Vinath Oudomsine, 31, was sentenced to 36 months in prison after pleading guilty to one count of wire fraud and admitting that he spent $57,789 of relief money on a "Charizard" Pokémon card, according to U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Georgia.
He was fined $10,000, ordered to pay restitution of $85,000, and will serve three years of supervised release after his prison sentence.
Oudomsine also agreed to forfeit the Charizard card. Depending on the rarity of the Charizard edition and the quality of its condition, the card can be worth anywhere from a few hundred dollars to over $100,000, according to Forbes.
"Congress appropriated funding to assist small businesses struggling through the challenges of a global pandemic," U.S. Attorney David H. Estes said. "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."
According to court documents, he had applied to the Small Business Administration (SBA) for an Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) around July 2020 for an "entertainment services" business. Oudomsine claimed to have 10 employees with a yearly revenue of $235,000 in the 12 months prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Court records didn't indicate what type of business Oudomsine claimed to own.
After he lied on the application, the SBA eventually deposited $85,000 into his bank account on Aug. 4, 2020. He later purchased the card on or around Jan. 8, 2021, according to court filings, per The Washington Post.
"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," Philip Wislar, Acting Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta, said. "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."
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