Broward deputy sentenced to prison for COVID-19 relief fraud

FLORIDA — A Broward Sheriff’s Office deputy and SWAT team member has been sentenced to federal prison for her involvement in a COVID-19 relief fraud scheme, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida announced last week.

Alexandra Acosta, 38, of Tamarac, has been sentenced to four months in federal prison after being convicted by a jury of one count of conspiracy to defraud the Small Business Administration (SBA), two counts of false statements to the SBA, and one count of wire fraud.

Ms Acosta conspired with her tax preparer to defraud the SBA’s Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). She submitted falsified income information and IRS tax forms to obtain over $20,000 in fraudulent loans. During this period, she was employed as a deputy sheriff and SWAT team member with the Broward Sheriff’s Office (BSO).

In addition to her prison sentence, Ms Acosta was ordered to pay a $4,000 fine. She had previously repaid the fraudulently obtained loan funds.

The tax preparer, Vilsaint St. Louis, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud the United States and was sentenced for his role in the scheme.

The investigation was conducted by the Office of Inspector General for the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the Broward Sheriff’s Office, and the FBI Miami Field Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Trevor Jones and Adam Love prosecuted the case, with Assistant U.S. Attorney Darren Grove handling asset forfeiture.