Savannah Standard

A Richmond County woman has been sentenced to federal prison for defrauding a COVID-19 small business relief program. Kameka Bausley, 43, from Augusta, received a 32-month prison sentence after pleading guilty to wire fraud. The announcement was made by Jill E. Steinberg, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia.

U.S. District Court Judge Dudley H. Bowen ordered Bausley to pay $71,933 in restitution and serve three years of supervised release after her prison term. Federal sentences do not allow parole.

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

Court documents revealed that Bausley was an employee of the U.S. Postal Service and was collecting workers’ compensation benefits when she committed fraud against the Small Business Administration (SBA). She used false revenue and expense data about her catering business to secure funds through the Economic Injury Disaster Loan and Paycheck Protection Program under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act Programs.

“This sentencing underlines our dedication to holding people accountable who exploit federal relief programs for personal gain,” stated Jonathan Ulrich, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General (USPS-OIG). “As proven in this case, our criminal investigators and the legal teams at the U.S. Attorney’s Office will diligently pursue anyone who attempts to commit COVID-19 fraud and exploit programs created to help legitimate people and businesses affected by the global pandemic.”

The investigation was conducted by the USPS Office of Inspector General with prosecution led by Southern District of Georgia Assistant U.S. Attorney George J.C. Jacobs III.

Individuals with information on attempted fraud related to COVID-19 can report it through the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via their web complaint form.