By: Yuritza Arroyo
Authorities in Camden County announced that a woman was sentenced on May 1st to 60 months in prison, five years of supervised release and ordered to pay $3.18 million in restitution and forfeit $1.03 million for conspiring to fraudulently obtain 30 Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans and Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) totaling more than $3 million and to launder the proceeds.
According to officials, Rhonda Thomas, 38, of Sicklerville, pleaded guilty by videoconference on June 28, 2022, to an information charging her with one count of bank fraud conspiracy and one count of money laundering.
Officials say Thomas and their conspirators submitted 15 fraudulent PPP loan applications and six fraudulent EIDL loan applications to several lenders and the SBA on behalf of 12 purported businesses.
The applications contained fraudulent representations to the participating lenders, including forged documentation of federal tax returns and altered bank statements.