Two former employees of the Miami Police Department, caught in a web of deceit over COVID-19 relief funds, have admitted to their crimes and now face the prospect of lengthy prison sentences. Sheana Haslem, a 38-year-old staffing specialist with the MPD, pleaded guilty to wire fraud after fabricating ownership of a beauty business, while Keandra Carter, a 35-year-old public service aide, claimed to be the proprietor of a high-earning hair braiding business, authorities revealed.
A report by NBC Miami detailed how Haslem fraudulently pocketed a $10,000 Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) advance and a $20,832 Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan, lying about the existence of her salon business and falsifying IRS documents, yet she still served as a full-time staffing specialist for MPD during the time. Carter, on her part, snagged a nearly identical PPP loan amount by misrepresenting her business's income as $1.1 million in 2019.
Adding a twist to the tale, the Miami New Times has identified Sheana Haslem as the sister of Miami Heat basketball icon Udonis Haslem, she had used baseless claims to leverage the federal assistance meant for Americans grappling with the economic fallout of the pandemic. Both women are now scheduled for sentencing in May, with potential penalties reaching up to 20 years imprisonment.
The Paycheck Protection Program was designed to offer a lifeline to small businesses hit hard by the pandemic, offering forgivable loans to sustain payroll and cover other essential costs, the scale of Haslem's and Carter's fraud underscores the challenges faced in safeguarding such wide-reaching economic relief efforts. As the date for their sentencing draws near, the former police department employees must now reckon with the consequences of exploiting a program meant to preserve livelihoods during unprecedented times, casting a shadow on their former roles intended to uphold the law.
