Richmond County Woman Sentenced for Defrauding COVID-19 Relief Programs

Kameka Bausley, 43, of Augusta, has been sentenced to 32 months (2 years and 8 months) in federal prison for defrauding COVID-19 small business relief programs, according to U.S. Attorney Jill E. Steinberg. U.S. District Court Judge Dudley H. Bowen also ordered Bausley to pay $71,933 in restitution and serve three years of supervised release following her prison term. Federal sentences do not include parole.

Court documents and sentencing details revealed that Bausley, a U.S. Postal Service employee collecting workers’ compensation benefits, submitted false revenue and expense information about her catering business to obtain $71,933 through the Economic Injury Disaster Loan and Paycheck Protection Program under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act.

“Congress provided more than $600 billion in funding to help small businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic,” said U.S. Attorney Steinberg. “Unfortunately, that funding also attracted scam artists. We will continue to hold accountable those who illegally profit from safety net programs.”

Jonathan Ulrich, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General, emphasized, “This sentencing highlights our commitment to pursuing those who exploit federal relief programs for personal gain. Our investigators and prosecutors remain diligent in addressing COVID-19 fraud.”

The case was investigated by the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney George J.C. Jacobs III.

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.