A glitzy Miami real estate agent is accused with federal fraud when it was discovered that she used COVID-19 relief money on a new Bentley, cosmetic surgery, and a mansion.
According to the US Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, Daniela Rendon, 31, got $381,000 through the Small Business Administration and Paycheck Protection Program.
But Rendon is accused of distributing the fictitious payroll payments to friends and relatives for personal gain rather than using the government money to keep actual employees afloat during the pandemic.
According to federal officials, Rendon used a large portion of the windfall to lease a 2021 Bentley Bentayga, rent a luxurious Biscayne Bay residence, and pay for cosmetic work.
Additionally, she used some of the tax dollars to restore a pair of high-end shoes.
Rendon is being charged with seven counts of wire fraud and money laundering, which if proven true may result in a 20-year jail sentence.
Rendon may be seen having fun at a number of opulent locations in Miami and elsewhere on her social media profiles, the most of which have been turned to private since her arrest.
According to the Miami Herald, the prosecution claimed at her arraignment last week that she posed a flight risk to her native Colombia. Her defence refuted this assertion.
The mother of three will now defend herself against the accusations after a court set her bond at $150,000.
In order to be eligible for the PPP funds, Rendon reportedly faked records pertaining to her real estate business, including her annual income, payroll, cost of goods, IRS tax information, and number of employees. She provided the false records to lenders in Miami, New Jersey, and Idaho.
Federal authorities say that Rendon, who describes herself as a “Ultra Luxury” real estate agent on LinkedIn, intercepted the loan payments and diverted them to herself and her close friends.
According to Miami Herald, she set up a New Jersey payroll processor to handle the loans she received through her business bank account and distributed the payments to her loved ones.
Rendon is not the first person to take advantage of the COVID-19 loan programme, which was created to aid small businesses fighting to survive the pandemic. Fraudsters routinely used the $813 billion government aid programme improperly to steal the money. In December, police in Florida detained a pastor and his son for misusing a PPP loan intended for their church to pay for a luxury vehicle.
