Two Convicted of COVID Fraud in West Virginia

MARTINSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – A Maryland woman and a New York woman have admitted to fraudulently obtaining COVID-19 relief funding on behalf of a West Virginia resident.

Kimberly VanKline, 56, of Hyattsville, Maryland, and Rhonda Brown-Moore, 65, of Brooklyn, New York, pled guilty today to conspiring to commit wire fraud related to the improper receipt of funds from the COVID Relief Act.

According to court documents, VanKline and Brown-Moore worked together to create and submit falsified documents to obtain CARES Act Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans for others, including a resident of the Northern District of West Virginia.  VanKline and Brown-Moore were compensated for their illegal actions from the fraudulent proceeds.

VanKline and Brown-Moore face up to 20 years in federal prison. A federal district court judge will determine the sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jennifer Conklin and Kimberley Crockett prosecuted the case on behalf of the government and the matter was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert W. Trumble presided.