A St. Louis County woman has been sentenced to probation and ordered to pay back over $100,000 after being convicted of pandemic loan fraud, according to an announcement from the U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of Missouri. Camille N. Foster, 32, was involved in fraudulently obtaining Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans for businesses that were not actually in operation.
The scheme, which unfolded between May 2020 and November 2021, involved Foster submitting false information on loan applications for three businesses she claimed to own: Humble Hearts Home Healthcare LLC, Embellished Jewels LLC, and Muse Me Boutique LLC. On these applications, she inflated payroll costs and business income and submitted counterfeit tax documents – at times, even assuming another individual's identity to further her deceit, the U.S. Attorney’s Office reported.
The PPP loans were designed to support small businesses struggling to stay afloat during the economic turmoil caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Foster, however, spent the money on personal luxuries such as retail shopping, dining out, cosmetic surgery, vacations, and other unrelated expenses. Moreover, she later sought loan forgiveness by falsely claiming that the funds had been used to cover payroll expenses, as per the guidelines of the federal relief program.
Foster, also known by the name Foster-Nunley, pleaded guilty to two counts of wire fraud in April. In the aftermath of the conviction, U.S. District Judge Rodney W. Sippel sentenced her to five years of probation and ordered restitution of $113,223 to the U.S. Small Business Administration, according to the information provided by the U.S. Attorney's Office. The case was investigated by the FBI and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Clow, the announcement detailed.
As pandemic-related fraud continues to be an issue of concern, authorities urge the public to report any suspected fraudulent activities regarding disaster relief efforts to the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline or through their online complaint form.
