A Georgia man was sentenced to three years in prison after illegally obtaining a coronavirus relief loan and using more than $57,000 of the money to buy a collectable Pokemon card, authorities have said.
Vinath Oudomsine of Dublin, Georgia, on Monday, agreed to forfeit the costly trading card, which featured the Pokemon character Charizard, as part of a plea agreement, acting US Attorney David Estes of the Southern District of Georgia said in a news release. Oudomsine, 31, pleaded guilty in October to a single count of wire fraud.
Prosecutors said in a legal filing that he submitted false information to the US Small Business Administration last year when applying for a COVID-19 relief loan for an “entertainment services” business he claimed to own.
They said he lied about how many people he employed as well as his business' annual revenues. Oudomsine received $85,000 from the loan program, prosecutors said and used it to buy a Pokemon trading card for $57,789.
With PTI inputs.
