Ex-JSO corrections officer admits wire fraud in pandemic loan to fake babysitting business
A Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office corrections officer has pleaded guilty to wire fraud in a scam that banked about $20,000 from the federal government’s pandemic-era Paycheck Protection Program.
Deconna Burke, 34, admitted during a court hearing this week to cashing in on the program by creating fake paperwork to convince the U.S. Small Business Administration he ran an imaginary babysitting business that had $98,000 in income.
Burke told the PPP, which Congress created to help companies whose income vanished during COVID-19 lockdowns, that he needed a forgivable loan to cover his business payroll, according to a “factual basis” summary filed in federal court Wednesday.
Database: Who in Florida got Paycheck Protection Program loans during the pandemic?
Burke used the $20,415 PPP loan to pay off his debt on a motorcycle in May 2021, then in November 2021 he convinced SBA to forgive the PPP loan, which he maintained had been used on payroll costs that qualified for forgiveness under the program.
The scam fell apart in July 2022, when someone tipped off JSO’s internal affairs unit, according to the summary filed in court. The Sheriff’s Office integrity unit and the U.S. Secret Service investigated the complaint, with Burke ending up being question in front of a video camera in December.
Burke was indicted in April and agreed last month to withdraw his initial not-guilty plea.
Wire fraud can carry a sentence of up to 20 years behind bars but Chief U.S. District Judge Timothy J. Corrigan hasn’t scheduled a date yet for Burke’s sentencing.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Ex-JSO employee guilty of wire fraud in $20,000 COVID-19 payroll loan
