Show-Me State Times

U.S. District Judge Rodney W. Sippel has sentenced a woman from St. Louis County, Missouri, for fraudulently obtaining pandemic relief loans. Camille N. Foster, 32, was ordered to repay $113,223 to the U.S. Small Business Administration and placed on probation for five years.

Foster acquired five Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans between May 2020 and November 2021 by submitting false applications for three businesses: Humble Hearts Home Healthcare LLC, Embellished Jewels LLC, and Muse Me Boutique LLC. The applications included misrepresented payroll and income figures for businesses that were not operational at the time. She also used fraudulent tax forms in her submissions.

In one instance, Foster applied for a loan using another person's name and Social Security number without their knowledge and signed the application under that name.

The PPP loans were designed to assist small businesses affected by the COVID-19 pandemic; however, Foster spent the funds on personal expenses such as retail purchases, dining, cosmetic surgery, bill payments, travel, taxes, and payments to others. She further attempted to obtain loan forgiveness by falsely claiming that most of the money had been used for payroll costs.

Known also as Foster-Nunley, she pleaded guilty in April to two counts of wire fraud.

The FBI conducted the investigation into this case while Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Clow led the prosecution.

For those with information regarding pandemic-related fraud, reports can be made through the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via their web complaint form.