Miami, FL: Two former Miami Police Department workers have admitted to COVID-19 relief fraud and are looking at significant time behind bars, according to officials.
Sheana Haslem, 38, admitted to wire fraud in relation to her false loan applications, as reported in a recent press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida.
Haslem was employed as a staffing specialist for Miami Police. In July 2020, prosecutors stated that Haslem was working full-time for MPD when she and an associate submitted a fraudulent EIDL application to the U.S. Small Business Administration.
The application stated that Haslem was an independent contractor and owner of a hair and nail salon business with 15 employees and gross revenues of almost $90,000, according to prosecutors.
Due to the deceptive application, Haslem was granted a $10,000 EIDL advance, according to authorities.
Haslem was found to have submitted a misleading IRS form stating she had a security officer business with a gross income of $102,874, enabling her to secure a $20,832 PPP loan, according to authorities.
Haslem is looking at a maximum of 20 years in prison when sentencing takes place on May 28.
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Another ex-employee of Miami Police Department, 35-year-old Keandra Carter, has admitted to wire fraud related to a fake PPP loan application, according to officials.
Carter, a former public service aide for MPD, submitted an application stating ownership of a “hair braider” business with a gross income of $1.1 million in 2019, according to prosecutors.
Due to a deceptive application, Carter received a $20,833 PPP loan, according to officials. Carter is also looking at a potential 20-year prison sentence, with the sentencing set for May 2.
Billions of dollars in forgivable small-business loans available through the Paycheck Protection Program for Americans impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Ensure the funds are allocated towards employee salaries, mortgage interest, rent, and utilities. It is a component of the coronavirus relief package that was enacted into federal law in 2020.