Woman and her dad lied to get almost $350,000 in COVID-19 relief loans

A woman on Tuesday joined her father in admitting responsibility for fraud related to COVID-19 relief money.

India Cook, 37, pleaded guilty in federal court in Cincinnati to four counts of making false statements on COVID-19 relief loan applications, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.

In 2020 and 2021, Cook, of College Hill, filed fraudulent applications for two kinds of loans, including one designed so businesses could keep their employees during the pandemic. Economic Injury Disaster loans and Paycheck Protection Program loans are typically forgiven.

The applications, submitted for several different companies, were false and contradicted each other, prosecutors said. One was for “C&H Tax Service,” another was for “Tax Lab, LLC.” Another was for a “ADMR Shoes.”

She ultimately received nearly $144,000.

Her father, 56-year-old Rodney Cook of Kennedy Heights, pleaded guilty last year. He submitted an application for a company, “AMP Clothing,” that prosecutors said was not operating and did not have any employees or revenue at the time.

He ultimately received and spent more than $205,000 in COVID-19 relief money.

Rodney Cook also owns a real estate business that consists of about 50 rental properties, including some that are outside of Cincinnati, court documents say. In a separate scheme, he purchased rental properties through a government program that was exclusively for owner-occupants who planned to live in the purchased properties.

He used “straw buyers,” officials said, to buy the properties which he then rented out.

He was sentenced to three years of probation and ordered to pay full restitution. In January, he paid more than $205,000 to the Small Business Administration.

India Cook’s sentencing date has not yet been scheduled.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Father, daughter convicted in fraud related to COVID-19 relief