Mississippi man sentenced to 18 months in prison for scamming $800K from pandemic relief fund

In Oxford, Mississippi, a man named Herman Nash has been handed an 18-month prison sentence for his role in scamming a pandemic relief fund out of $800,000, as reported by authorities. Nash, 63, had previously pleaded guilty to fraud charges in April. The sentence was given by U.S. Senior District Judge Glen H. Davidson, who also ordered Nash to serve five years of supervised release. Additionally, Nash must reimburse $738,000, and the IRS confiscated two of his vehicles valued at over $60,000 as restitution.
Nash, residing in Caledonia, submitted applications for three COVID-19 Economic Injury Disaster Loans, falsely stating he had a business that earned $455,000 in gross revenue and sold $90,000 worth of goods, according to a statement released by Clay Joyner, the U.S. attorney for northern Mississippi. Joyner expressed disappointment in Nash’s actions, mentioning that Nash illicitly obtained funds meant to support genuine businesses during the COVID-19 crisis and is now facing the consequences for his actions.