A Miami influencer defrauded the US government of USD 1.5 million for Covid treatment

Private jets, luxury hotels, rides in Rolls Royce and top brand handbags. Danielle Miller’s Instagram profile was all but one detail: Where did she get the money for these luxuries?

The 32-year-old woman defines herself as a “Con artist”. And the fact that the title has been won. Miller testified in court before the Massachusetts District Attorney He also received more than $1.5 million in funds from the United States federal government for stealing the identities of at least 10 people.

During the trial, which he participated in via video call from his jail cell, Miller pleaded guilty to fraudulent bank transactions and aggravated identity theft. By creating his stolen identities and non-existent business names, Miller received interest-free loans from the federal government from the Economic Disaster Fund (given in times of crisis), as well as increased unemployment benefits. Pandemic, between July 2020 and May 2021.

Miller produced driver’s licenses with all the information about whose identity he had stolen and whose photo he had posted. In at least one case, he was able to enter someone else’s data into the Boston Auto Registry, where he stole additional data that could open a bank account.

The lawsuit alleges that Miller used a false identity to board a private plane from Miami to California and then checked into a luxury hotel for the vacation. All these extravagances are meticulously documented on her social media profiles, especially Instagram where she has over 35,000 followers.

In pleading guilty to five criminal charges, Miller agreed to pay $1.3 million in restitution and serve six years in prison. His formal sentencing will be on June 27, but the deal with the prosecution is already known. Miller is serving a federal wire fraud conviction in Florida.

Unfortunately Miller’s case is not an isolated one. While there are no final figures on how much fraud has been committed in the Covid-19 relief fund, the central government’s own calculations put it at $60 billion.

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