A St. Louis County, Missouri woman has been indicted in federal court and accused of fraudulently seeking and receiving pandemic-era Paycheck Protection Program loans totaling $104,000.
Camille N. Foster, 31, was indicted on May 17 on three counts of bank fraud and two counts of wire fraud. The indictment was unsealed Monday. Foster is scheduled to make her first appearance in U.S. District Court in St. Louis on May 30.
The indictment says Foster devised a scheme to defraud Paycheck Protection Program lenders by submitting a series of fraudulent loan applications for three companies, Humble Hearts Home Healthcare LLC, Embellished Jewels LLC, and Muse Me Boutique LLC, from May 2020 to February 2021. Those applications contained false information about company payrolls and profits and the purpose of the loans, the indictment says, as well as Foster’s false claims that she didn’t own or have common management with any other business. Humble Hearts received two $20,832 loans and Embellished Jewels received two $20,833 loans. Muse Me Boutique received one $20,833 loan.
Foster, also listed in court records as Foster-Nunley, later sought loan forgiveness, falsely claiming that a portion of each loan had been used for payroll costs, the indictment says. Instead, Foster transferred the PPP loan money to other accounts she controlled, took some out in cash, transferred some to other people and spent some on retail and restaurant purchases and cosmetic surgery, the indictment says.
The bank fraud charges are punishable by up to 30 years in prison, a $1 million fine or both. Wire fraud is punishable by up to 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, or both.
The FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Clow is prosecuting the case.
