Georgia man gets three years in prison after using COVID relief funds to buy Pokémon card

Savannah Morning News
·2 min read

A Laurens County man has been sentenced to federal prison after admitting he lied to obtain a COVID-19 disaster relief loan, then used a large portion of the money to buy a collectible trading card.

Vinath Oudomsine, 31, of Dublin, Ga., was sentenced to 36 months in prison after pleading guilty to one count of Wire Fraud, said David H. Estes, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. U.S. District Court Judge Dudley H. Bowen also fined Oudomsine $10,000, ordered him to pay restitution of $85,000, and to serve three years of supervised release after completion of his prison term.

There is no parole in the federal system.

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“Congress appropriated funding to assist small businesses struggling through the challenges of a global pandemic,” said Estes.

Pokémon card game competitions have been held around the world, often with hundreds of participants.
Pokémon card game competitions have been held around the world, often with hundreds of participants.

As described in court documents and testimony, starting on or around July 2020, Oudomsine applied to the Small Business Administration (SBA) for an Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) ostensibly for an “entertainment services” business in Dublin that Oudomsine claimed had 10 employees and gross revenues of $235,000 in the 12 months preceding the COVID-19 pandemic.

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As a result of fraudulent representations on Oudomsine’s application, the SBA deposited $85,000 into Oudomsine’s bank account on Aug. 4, 2020.

The Pokémon Company International and Princeton Entertainment announced 30 new locations and dates for the official Pokémon live orchestral concert, Pokémon: Symphonic Evolutions, including a stop at Riverbend Music Center Friday, June 12.
The Pokémon Company International and Princeton Entertainment announced 30 new locations and dates for the official Pokémon live orchestral concert, Pokémon: Symphonic Evolutions, including a stop at Riverbend Music Center Friday, June 12.

Oudomsine later used $57,789 of the funds to purchase a Pokémon trading card. Oudomsine agreed to forfeit the Pokémon card – “Charizard” – as part of the prosecution.

Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.

This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Georgia man used COVID relief funds to buy Pokémon card