(WHDH) — A man is facing federal charges after investigators say he used nearly $60,000 in COVID relief funds to buy a single Pokémon card.
Vinath Oudomsine, of Dublin, Georgia, has been charged with wire fraud after using most of his Economic Injury Disaster Loan to purchase a trading card valued at $57,789 instead of putting the funds toward covering business costs like payroll, sick leave, production, rent, and mortgage payments, federal charging documents indicate.
In July 2020, Oudomsine fraudulently applied for the loan and stated he had operated a business with 10 employees that had annual revenues of $235,000, according to the documents.
The Small Business Association deposited a check of $85,000 into Oudomsine’s account less than a month later. He then allegedly spent a large chunk of the money on an unnamed Pokémon card.
Oudomsine could be sentenced to up to 20 years in prison.
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