Voting in Aitkin, Columbia Heights, Faribault, Little Falls, Staples-Motley and Wayzata

MPR News helps you turn down the noise and build shared understanding. Turn up your support for this public resource and keep trusted journalism accessible to all. 

Turn Up Your Support

A Georgia man lied in his application for federal coronavirus relief aid and then used the majority of the money he obtained to buy a Pokemon card, federal prosecutors say. 

charges allege that Vinath Oudomsine made false statements

 about the number of employees at his company and his company's gross revenue when he applied for small business aid through the CARES Act in July 2020. 

The following month, the Small Business Administration deposited $85,000 in his bank account. 

Federal prosecutors say Oudomsine used a majority of that money — $57,789 — to buy a Pokemon card. 

Those loans, meant for small businesses impacted by the pandemic, can be used for expenses such as payroll, sick leave, production costs, debt and rent or mortgage payments. But prosecutors say Oudomsine "unjustly enriched himself."

Authorities didn't say which Pokemon card Oudomsine allegedly bought with the federal funds, but rare Pokemon cards have been known to 

fetch tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars

The two defense attorneys representing Oudomsine declined to comment for this story. 

Business and Economic News

Crime, Law and Justice

Joe Hernandez

Author

Authorities didn't say which Pokemon card Vinath Oudomsine allegedly bought with the federal funds, but rare Pokemon cards have sold for tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars.

A man spent $57,789 in coronavirus relief aid on a Pokemon card, the feds say

Go Deeper.

Like this?

News you can use in your inbox