A Black woman who led a multimillion-dollar COVID-19 relief fund fraud scheme was recently sentenced for her crimes. The U.S. Department of Justice said 29-year-old Paradise Williams was sentenced to five years in prison for money laundering and wire fraud in the U.S. District Court in Seattle.
Federal prosecutors said Williams orchestrated a fraud ring that aimed to steal over $6.8 million from major pandemic assistance programs. The mastermind personally received over $2 million from various government agencies, and the money was spent on luxury cars, expensive trips, cosmetic surgery, jewelry, and designer goods, according to officials.
“Paradise Williams was relentless in her efforts to steal pandemic benefits throughout the entire duration of our national emergency, and it is unconscionable that she funded a life of luxury by stealing millions in taxpayer funds that should have prevented King County residents from being evicted in the winter,” U.S. Attorney Tessa M. Gorman said in the statement.
Williams reportedly submitted 125 fake applications between June 2020 and February 2022 for several pandemic relief programs, including the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act unemployment benefits, court records show.
"Williams enlisted over 50 associates, including her five codefendants, to obtain more than $3.3 million by posing as fake tenants, landlords, and small business owners in need of assistance. In submitting these applications, Williams, among other things, created falsified bank statements, tenant ledgers, and landlord attestations," officials wrote.
Williams was sentenced on Tuesday, March 5. As part of her plea agreement, she will pay $2,791,241 in restitution to the U.S. Department of the Treasury plus $512,730 to the U.S. Small Business Administration. The 29-year-old will also forfeit a Lexus sedan, a Range Rover SUV, and the $2 million she illicitly obtained from government agencies.
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