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Man used COVID loan to buy rare Pokemon card

Jeffrey Chang pokemon
(AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

A Georgia man is now facing criminal charges after he allegedly used a COVID relief loan to buy a rare Pokémon card.

Vinath Oudomsine of Dublin, Georgia was arrested after authorities found that he spent $57,789 of a relief business loan on the card.

Federal prosecutors say Oudomsine applied for the loan through the Economic Injury Disaster Loan program in July of 2020. He claimed that needed the loan to help with his business that employed 10 people and typically grossed revenue of $235,000 over 12 months.

Oudomsine was awarded a $85,000 loan on Aug. 4th by the Small Business Administration.

It is unclear what prompted the investigation, but authorities later found that Oudosmine lied about the number of employees he had and that five months after receiving the reward, he used the money to purchase the card instead of putting it towards his business.

He has been charged with one count of wire fraud.