Source: United States Department of Justice News
SAVANNAH, GA: A Chatham County gang member with a violent criminal history has been sentenced to prison and ordered to pay back the federal government after admitting to COVID-19 relief funding fraud.
Brandon Lamar Williams, a/k/a “NH Skilo,” 30, of Savannah, was sentenced to 60 months in prison after previously pleading guilty to Wire Fraud, said David H. Estes, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. U.S. District Court Judge William T. Moore Jr. also ordered Williams to pay restitution of $46,522 and to serve three years of supervised release upon completion of his prison term.
There is no parole in the federal system.
“Brandon Williams is a multi-time felon who scammed money from American taxpayers,” said U.S. Attorney Estes. “Perhaps he can contemplate more honest future endeavors while he’s being held accountable behind bars.”
As described in court documents and proceedings, Williams, who performs under the name NH Skilo, in mid-2021 provided false information in loan applications to the Small Business Administration (SBA) for economic assistance under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act’s Paycheck Protection Program. Williams obtained more than $40,000 from a lender participating in the program.
A member of the Crips criminal street gang, Williams has a long, violent criminal history that includes possession of illegal guns and drugs, with multiple prior sentences to state and federal prison.
“The Office of Inspector General continues to identify and bring to justice wrongdoers who seek to utilize falsified information to illegally benefit from SBA programs,” said SBA OIG’s Eastern Region Special Agent in Charge Amaleka McCall-Brathwaite. “OIG remains committed to rooting out bad actors and protecting the integrity of SBA programs every day. I am continually grateful to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for its leadership and dedication to shining a light on darkness wherever it may be.”
“The sentence Mr. Williams received represents the seriousness of his crime and serves to deter individuals who choose to circumvent federal and local laws for personal gain,” said Beau Kolodka, Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the Atlanta Field Office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
The case is being investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, along with assistance from the Small Business Administration Office of Inspector General, and prosecuted for the United States by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Georgia.
Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.