If you illegally filed for COVID relief funds during the pandemic, trust and believe that the U.S. government is still coming after y’all. Just ask Miami influencer and real estate broker Daniela Renton, who was given $381,000 through the Small Business Administration and Paycheck Protection Program. According to the US Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, Renton lied about her reasons for needing the cash to splurge herself.
While the loan was supposed to be used to help keep her business running and that her employees continue to get paid on time, Renton is being accused of using the money on herself — specifically on cosmetic surgery and a brand new 2021 Bentley. While the car was reportedly being rented, Renton also moved into a luxury Miami apartment while a good chunk of the remaining balance was used for surgical procedures.
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Renton — a mother of three — is now facing a whopping seven counts of wire fraud and money laundering, federal officials confirmed, and if she’s found guilty, she’ll be looking at up to 20 years behind bars. During her arraignment last week, a judge set her bond at $150,000 after it was argued by prosecutors that she could be a flight risk to Colombia, where she’s originally from.
As for how she managed to acquire the loan, to begin with, it was said in court that Rendon allegedly forged documents related to her job as a real estate agent, which granted her access to funds enough to keep the company afloat. She’s also accused of faking documents pertaining to the number of people that were working for her and what her annual revenue was.
Rendon’s defense attorney, per the Miami Herald, told the publication, “We had a hard-fought detention hearing and were able to get her a bond. Now we’re going to move on and defend this case.”
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Rendon joins countless similar cases against those who have either been accused being convicted of the same charges after committing wire fraud and money laundering after illegally filing for a PPP loan during the pandemic.