AUGUSTA, Ga. — A Georgia mail carrier was sentenced after admitting to fraudulently obtaining over $70,000 in COVID aid, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Georgia.
Prosecutors say Augusta resident Kameka Bausley, 42, was sentenced to over 2.5 years after pleading guilty to fraud, admitting to filing false information with the Small Business Administration as part of a COVID-19 aid application.
While federal emergency aid helped many businesses stay open, prosecutors say that the funds "attracted scam artists" to file applications with false information in an effort to get funds they did not deserve.
"With our law enforcement partners, we will continue to hold accountable those who illegally profit from safety net programs,” U.S. Attorney Jill Steinberg said in the press release.
According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Bausley used to work for the U.S. Postal Service, but she was receiving worker's compensation when the COVID-19 pandemic struck.
During this time, however, she filed fabricated financial information related to her catering business, requesting Economic Injury Disaster Loan and Payroll Protection Program funding, the press release said.
She sent the information to the Small Business Administration and received $71,933 in aid after submitting the fraudulent information, according to prosecutors.
After entering her guilty plea, a judge sentenced Bausley to over two years in prison and ordered her to pay $71,933 to the government. The case was investigated by the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General.