A Miami real estate agent has been sentenced to three and a half years in prison after defrauding the US government of $381,000 from a COVID-19 emergency fund.
According to the New York Post, Daniela Rendon pleaded guilty to one count of bank fraud last April after being charged in February with six other counts of bank fraud, two counts of money laundering and one count of identity theft.
Authorities revealed that she falsified records of her real estate business and altered her payroll, headcount and product costs. This allowed him to qualify for a business emergency program and rake in just over $381,000.
In particular, the amount enabled him to rent a Bentley Bentayga vehicle, rent a luxury apartment and purchase several other luxury products.
On Thursday, the 31-year-old from Colombia stated in court that greed motivated her crimes. According to the Miami Herald, she allegedly claimed that “everyone fraudulently received COVID-19 relief loans.”
Daniela Rendon wrote 30 pages to apologize. The mother-of-three has realized she’s harmed several American companies. Judge Michael Moore viewed these elements as justification for his lenient sentence. She faced a maximum of 20 years in prison.
“It’s not easy to see that you’ve robbed your neighbors, your friends and other citizens,” he said.
In addition to her jail time, Daniela Rendon has to pay federal authorities $198,990.