ST. LOUIS – A St. Louis County woman appeared in federal court on Thursday to be sentenced for defrauding the U.S. Small Business Administration out of six figures in pandemic loan payments.
Prosecutors with the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Eastern District of Missouri said Camille N. Foster, 32, obtained five different pandemic relief loans between May 2020 and November 2021 by misrepresenting the payroll and annual income of her businesses: Humble Hearts Home Healthcare LLC, Embellished Jewels LLC, and Muse Me Boutique LLC.
The three businesses were not in operation at the time.
Foster submitted false tax forms to bolster her claims. She also used someone else’s name and Social Security number on an application and signed that person’s name without their knowledge.
PPP loans were created to help small businesses suffering during the COVID-19 pandemic and were intended to be used for business-related purposes.
However, Foster used her PPP loan money for retail purchases, dining, cosmetic surgery, bill payments, travel, taxes, and payments to others. She then filed fake applications for PPP loan forgiveness, claiming she’d spent all or most of the money on payroll costs.
In April, Foster pleaded guilty to two counts of wire fraud.
A U.S. District Court judge sentenced Foster to five years of probation and ordered her to pay $113,223 in restitution to the SBA.
