Man Who Used COVID-19 Funds on $57,000 Charizard Card Will Go to Prison

gamerant.com:

When the COVID-19 pandemic began in March 2020, federal and state governments in the US made funds available to help small businesses survive the loss of income due to lockdowns. Although many companies were negatively impacted by the coronavirus pandemic and shut down despite the assistance, this funding proved pivotal in helping many small businesses stay afloat, and most of the loans were interest free or qualified for forgiveness if certain requirements were meant.

Some people took advantage of the small business pandemic assistance to line their pockets even though they didn’t legally qualify for the loans, or they used the funds for other than their intended purpose. Throughout 2020, there were many stories of large companies who didn’t need assistance finding loopholes to get loans, such as marking each branch of a chain of stores as a separate small business. One man, Vinath Oudomsine of Georgia, used fraudulently obtained COVID relief funds to purchase a Pokemon card for $57,789.

Pokemon Fan Shows Off Giant Charizard Card Painting

In July 2020, Oudomsine applied for an Economic Injury Disaster Loan through the US Small Business Administration, stating that the funds would be used to help his “entertainment services” business that he claimed had 10 employees and earned $235,000 in the previous 12 months. The Georgia man received $85,000 in August, which he then used to buy a rare Charizard card. Oudomsine’s fraudulent application was discovered, and he has subsequently been sentenced to three years in federal prison, followed by three years of «supervised release.» He will also have to return the $85,000 loan money, pay a $10,000 fine, and forfeit the Pokemon card.

The specific Pokemon card purchased by Oudomsine has