A former Miami Gardens police officer has pleaded guilty after admitting that he inflated his company’s revenue on a federal COVID relief application and obtained a $63,900 disaster loan.
Alvin Bernard, 38, was serving as a Miami Gardens Police Department officer while also acting as the sole manager and authorized representative of Vanity Properties LLC.
Bernard told the U.S. Small Business Administration that the company had generated $127,881 in gross revenue during the 12 months before Jan. 31, 2020. Court records show that Vanity Properties had not earned that revenue.
The false figure helped the company qualify for a $63,900 Economic Injury Disaster Loan, which the SBA deposited into its bank account, according to the Caribbean National Weekly.
The Application Claimed $127,881 in Revenue
The EIDL program provided federal assistance to qualifying businesses suffering economic injury during the COVID-19 pandemic. Applicants were required to certify under penalty of perjury that information submitted to the SBA, including gross revenue figures, was true and accurate.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida, Bernard submitted Vanity Properties’ application online and falsely represented its pre-pandemic revenue to qualify for assistance. Based on that application, the SBA approved the loan and transferred the proceeds electronically into the company’s bank account.
The Guilty Plea Will Also End His Law Enforcement Career
Bernard pleaded guilty to making a false statement to the SBA. His plea agreement carries consequences beyond the federal criminal case. He agreed to resign from the Miami Gardens Police Department and surrender his Florida law enforcement certification.
Bernard also agreed to permanently refrain from seeking recertification, preventing him from regaining that Florida credential after the criminal case is over.
He Faces Up to Two Years in Federal Prison
The offense carries a statutory maximum sentence of two years in federal prison. The actual sentence will be determined by the court after considering the applicable federal sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. The Justice Department’s announcement did not identify a sentencing date.
The FBI’s Miami Field Office, the SBA Office of Inspector General’s Eastern Region and the U.S. Secret Service’s Miami Field Office investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Edward N. Stamm is prosecuting it, while Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian Zack is handling asset forfeiture.
Business Records Can Still Matter Years After Relief Money Is Paid
Federal pandemic relief programs may have closed, but applications and supporting business records can remain relevant in later audits and criminal investigations.
Businesses that received SBA assistance should retain truthful records supporting figures submitted to the government, including revenue, payroll and other eligibility information. Owners who discover that inaccurate information was supplied should obtain qualified legal or accounting advice rather than altering or destroying underlying records.
The Small Business Administration directs reports of suspected fraud, waste or abuse involving its programs to the SBA Office of Inspector General. The same resource provides a separate process for people who discover that their identities or businesses were used without permission to obtain SBA funding.