Federal prosecutors say self-proclaimed con artist Danielle Miller used stolen identities to acquire pandemic loans.
A social media influencer has pleaded responsible to utilizing stolen identities to fraudulently receive greater than $1m in small enterprise loans associated to COVID aid packages in the US.
Danielle Miller’s lavish way of life — which she flaunted over Instagram — got here crashing down when she was arrested in Could 2021 at her luxurious condo in Miami, Florida.
Miller appeared by video on Monday earlier than a federal choose in Boston to plead responsible to wire fraud and aggravated id theft prices.
The 33-year-old agreed to forfeit $1.3m and serve six years in jail, 16 months of which can overlap with a five-year sentence she obtained in October for a separate Florida financial institution fraud case. She is ready to be sentenced on June 27.
Miller’s story captured public consideration whereas underscoring the rampant fraud that accompanied a authorities rush to distribute greater than $5 trillion in aid funds to folks, companies and native governments affected by the pandemic throughout the US.
Final week, the White Home stated US President Joe Biden plans to ask Congress to offer $1.6bn in new funding to crack down on fraud tied to the aid programmes.
The US Authorities Accountability Workplace stated final month greater than 1,000 folks have been convicted of fraud referring to federal COVID aid.
For her half, Miller advised New York Journal in February 2022 that she thought of herself a “con artist”.
The article detailed Miller’s development from a scholar on the prestigious Horace Mann Faculty to a socialite whose way of life shortly grew to become depending on crime. Her father is a lawyer and former New York State Bar Affiliation president.
Miller had beforehand been arrested for utilizing pretend bank cards at a New York Metropolis spa and was sentenced to a yr in jail.
After she was launched, prosecutors stated Miller used the identities of greater than 10 folks to fraudulently arrange financial institution accounts and procure pandemic-related loans meant for small companies.
She used the cash for journey and luxurious purchases Resembling a Rolex watch, a Louis Vuitton bag and Dior sneakers, authorities stated.
