Former federal employee indicted for COVID relief fraud
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The U.S. Attorney's Office says a former employee of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs was indicted by a federal grand jury for fraudulently obtaining $20,000 from COVID relief funds.
Court records show that Lakeysha Day, 43, of North Carolina, is charged with one count of wire fraud by a federal grand jury in Kansas City, Mo. Day worked at the VA Medical Center in Columbia, Missouri at the time of the fraud.
The indictment also shows Day will be required to forfeit any property acquired using the alleged fraudulent money, including $20,000 to the government.
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According to the indictment, Day applied for a Paycheck Protection Program loan (PPP) for her business on March 20, 2021, via the CARES Act. These loans were for small businesses to retain workers and payroll, make mortgage payments, lease payments and utility payments during the pandemic.
Day claimed to be the sole proprietor of a business that averaged a monthly payroll of $8,000 according to court documents. She also claimed gross receipts of sales of $114,210, business expenses of $14,685 and a profit of $99,525. Day's 2019 personal tax income return did not report any property relating to the scheme, however.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul S. Becker and was investigated by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of Inspector General.
