A Washington D.C. woman has been handed down a 23-month prison sentence after being found guilty of defrauding a government pandemic aid program for tenants. Khin Phoo Ngon, 27, was ordered by D.C. Superior Court to shell out over $200,000 in restitution and serve three years of supervised release once her prison term ends. The sentence was announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, FBI Special Agent in Charge David J. Scott, and D.C. Inspector General Daniel W. Lucas, as per the U. S. Department of Justice.
The court heard that in 2021, Ngon made a series of fraudulent claims to STAY DC, using both her own identity with underreported income and completely fictitious scenarios. In an apparent act of deceit, she claimed to be living at a property where she no longer resided and at another, she had never stepped foot in, swindling out thousands from a program designed to support residents crippled by the pandemic. Notably, while her claims stated a meager income far below her actual earnings, it was more than what qualified for the assistance program's threshold.
Further misrepresentation by Ngon was uncovered as she applied using a relative's name without their consent. According to court documents, Ngon even drafted a pseudonymous lease and submitted documents that included an expired driver's license and bunk tax returns. Such brazen lies siphoned off another hefty sum from the STAY DC program, meant to serve as a lifeline for those at risk of losing their homes amidst the pandemic's economic turmoil.
Ultimately, Ngon pled guilty to a slew of charges on April 23, which included two counts each of first-degree fraud, first-degree theft, and first-degree identity theft. Commending the coordinated effort of law enforcement, Graves, Scott, and Lucas acknowledged the work of the FBI’s Washington Field Office and the D.C. Office of the Inspector General in bringing Ngon to justice. The case, demonstrating a blend of audacity and intricacy, was prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Micah Bluming.
