KC woman sentenced to prison for scheme to defraud $62K from COVID funds
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - A Kansas City woman has been sentenced to prison for a scheme she hatched to defraud the government of more than $62,000.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Missouri announced on Thursday, May 22, that Robin Brooks, 55, of Kansas City, has been sentenced for filing a false claim as part of a scheme to defraud more than $62,800 in COVID-19 relief funds from the government.
Court documents indicated that Brooks was sentenced to 15 months in prison and ordered to pay more than $62,800 in restitution to the Small Business istration and to Jackson County, Missouri.
Court officials noted that the CARES Act was enacted in March 2020 to provide emergency financial aid to the millions of Americans suffering the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. As part of the legislation, the Paycheck Protection Program was created to provide forgivable loans to small businesses.
In her guilty plea, Brooks itted that, in 2021, she submitted fraudulent applications to the Small Business istration for loans under fake businesses. In fact, her business never actually existed and did not have any employees.
In a related scheme, Brooks itted that she submitted about $30,345 in false invoices to Jackson County for CARES Act Funds for a nonprofit she created to provide food to those negatively impacted by the pandemic.
Based on these false claims, court records revealed that the SBA and Jackson County both issued payments to Brooks. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brent Venneman and investigated by the U.S. Secret Service.
No further information has been released.
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