BLUEFIELD, W.Va. – A South Carolina woman has been sentenced in connection with a COVID-19 fraud scheme she initiated while living in Bluefield in 2021.
Anna Marie Omar, 51, of Myrtle Beach, was sentenced in federal court in Bluefield Monday to five years probation, including six months home detention, and ordered to pay $23,410 in restitution.
According to court documents, Omar admitted she fraudulently obtained a $20,833 Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan guarantee during the COVID-19 pandemic through the CARES (Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security) Act. The loans were made available to qualifying independent contractors and those self-employed who were adversely impacted by the pandemic.
Omar admitted that she falsely represented that she was an independent contractor, that she had earned $152,000 in gross income in that capacity during tax year 2020, that she earned that income while working for a water processing business, and that she had been in business since 2010. Omar further admitted that she obtained the COVID-19 relief money for her own personal use.
U.S. Attorney Will Thompson announced the sentence and commended the investigative work of the West Virginia State Police – Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI), the West Virginia State Auditor’s Office (WVSAO) Public Integrity and Fraud Unit (PIFU), Homeland Security Investigations, the Horry County South Carolina Sheriff’s Office and the Myrtle Beach Police Department.
Senior United States District Judge David A. Faber imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Jonathan T. Storage prosecuted the case.
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