In the article, “Georgia Man Spends COVID Relief Money on Pokémon Card” (McGraw Hill), Vinath Oudomsine decided that he would create a business that never existed to receive money from the government (July 2020). Many business were being affected by COVID especially the small businesses which is why the government created the COVID relief aid from the Economic Injury Disaster Loans. On August 2020, he received $85,000 and spent $57,789 on a single Pokémon Card. He ended up pleading guilty a week after November 2, 2021 and if he’s convicted then he’ll be in prison for twenty years and be fined $250,000.
Would you ever go this faer to get on of your many wants?It’s crazy to think that Vinath Oudomsine was able to lie to the government and within a month he received the money. In a way it makes sense that they just went along with what he had wrote on the application but why didn’t they look more into it? When creating something they should take into consideration that people will make things up especially now with the help that the government is giving because of COVID. This situation also shows how far people are willing to go just to get what they want/desire.
dear Jennifer,
I find it crazy that someone could come up with the idea to fake a small buisness to buy pokemon cards with government money. I think that it is good that he is being punshied for this. One thing that stood out to me was when you said, ¨he’ll be in prison for twenty years and be fined $250,000.¨ i think that 20 years in prison is a crazy long time but he should not have commited that crime.
Thank you for writing this, I look forward to seeing what you write in the future. This artical was very intresting.
-Nichole Garza