Broward sheriff’s deputy sentenced to four months in prison for PPP loan fraud

On Tuesday, a senior U.S. district judge sentenced Alexandra AcostaA 38-year-old Broward County sheriff’s deputy and SWAT team member in Tamarac, Florida, was sentenced to four months in prison on charges related to COVID-19 relief fraud.

Acosta was convicted of one count of conspiracy to defraud the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), two counts of making false statements to the SBA, and one count of wire fraud.

In 2021, Acosta conspired with her tax preparer, Vilsaint St. Louis, to fraudulently obtain a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan. Acosta falsely represented herself as a sole proprietor working as a real estate agent and submitted false information about her 2019 income, including two forged Internal Revenue Service (IRS) tax returns. This deception resulted in her obtaining a PPP loan, which she later sought forgiveness for, for more than $20,000 in principal and interest.

At the time of the incident, Acosta was a deputy sheriff in the Broward Sheriff’s Office’s Law Enforcement Division and the department’s first and only female SWAT team member. Acosta’s accomplice, St. Louis, had previously pleaded guilty and was sentenced on May 14 to one year of probation, a $5,000 fine and 100 hours of community service.

In addition to the prison sentence, Acosta was fined $4,000. She has already repaid the fraudulently obtained loan funds.

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The investigation in this case was conducted jointly by the Federal Reserve Board’s Office of Inspector General (FRB-OIG), BSO, and the FBI’s Miami Field Office, and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Trevor Jones and Adam Love, with asset forfeiture overseen by Assistant U.S. Attorney Darren Grove.

The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida Markenzy Lapointe, Special Agent in Charge of the Eastern District of the Office of Inspector General of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (FRB-OIG) Brian Tucker, BSO Sergeant Gregory Tony, and Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey B. Veltri of the FBI’s Miami Field Office.