Man who spent COVID relief money on $57K Pokemon card gets 3 years in prison
DUBLIN, Ga. - A man who pleaded guilty to spending more than $57,000 in coronavirus relief money on a rare Pokemon card was sentenced to federal prison and must pay up nearly $100,000.
Federal prosecutors in Georgia said Vinath Oudomsine, 31, will serve three years for wire fraud, and he will be placed on probation for another three years upon his release. The court also ordered that Oudomsine pay back the $85,000 small business relief check and pay a $10,000 fine.
According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Oudomsine fraudulently applied for the Economic Injury Disaster Loan in July 2020 on behalf of his "entertainment services" business, which he claimed had 10 employees. Once he had the money in hand, Oudomsine spent $57,789 on a "Charizard" trading card, federal prosecutors said in a statement.
Oudomsine also agreed to forfeit the card to the federal government.