A 24-year-old Nigerian lady, Lola Shalewa Barbara Kasali is facing a maximum of 30-year jail term in the United States for a €1.68million COVID-19 relief fund fraud.
A federal jury convicted Kasali, a Texas resident for defrauding the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) of over €1.68 million in loans guaranteed by the Small Business Administration (SBA) under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, The Guardian is reporting.
The United States Department of Justice (DoJ) said court documents showed that Kasali submitted two fraudulent loan applications to two different lenders on behalf of her companies, Lola’s Level and Charm Hair Extensions.
DoJ disclosed that “through these loan applications, Kasali sought over €3.37 million in PPP loan funds. Kasali falsely represented the number of employees and payroll expenses in each of the PPP loan applications.
“To support these applications, Kasali also submitted fraudulent tax records. Kasali ultimately received over €1.68 million in PPP loan funds.”
The Justice Department, along with its law enforcement partners, seized the funds that the 24-year-old Nigerian fraudulently obtained.
Kasali was convicted of two counts of making false statements to a financial institution and two counts of bank fraud. She is scheduled to be sentenced on Feb. 25, 2022, and faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison for each count of conviction.
A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.
