DUBLIN, Ga. — A Georgia man was sentenced to three years in prison after illegally obtaining a coronavirus relief loan and using more than $57,000 of the money to buy a collectable Pokémon card, authorities said Monday.
Vinath Oudomsine of Dublin, Georgia, agreed to forfeit the costly trading card, which featured the Pokémon character Charizard, as part of a plea agreement, acting U.S. Attorney David Estes of the Southern District of Georgia said in a news release.
Oudomsine, 31, pleaded guilty in October to a single count of wire fraud. Prosecutors said in a legal filing that he submitted false information to the U.S. Small Business Administration last year when applying for a Covid-19 relief loan for an “entertainment services” business he claimed to own. They said he lied about how many people he employed as well as his business’ annual revenues.
Oudomsine received $85,000 from the loan program, prosecutors said, and used it to buy a Pokémon trading card for $57,789.
