3 VA Employees from Belleville Charged in Scheme to Steal COVID-19 Relief Funds, Feds Say; California Attorney General Reports Over $20 Million Settlement with StubHub Over Ticket Refunds During COVID-19 Pandemic, and other C-Virus related stories

3 VA employees from Belleville charged in scheme to steal COVID-19 relief funds, feds say

Three Belleville residents who worked for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs in St. Louis County have been indicted on wire fraud charges of “scheming to falsely obtain” over $20,000 each in COVID-19 pandemic relief funds, the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced Wednesday.

The relief money was part of the Paycheck Protection Program, or PPP, operated by the U.S. Small Business Administration to “offer relief and forgivable loans to struggling businesses.” Under this program, business owners “could apply for loans to offset operational costs for payroll, employee benefits, facility expenses and other bills,” according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Illinois.

The news release states indictments were returned by a grand jury in the federal courthouse in East St. Louis against the following persons:

• Katherine L. Liggins, 36, of Belleville, one count of wire fraud and one count of material false statement for allegedly lying to acquire over $20,000 in Paycheck Protection Program funds. 

• Eric C. Scott, 43, of Belleville, one count of wire fraud and one count of material false statement for allegedly applying for and spending over $20,000 in Paycheck Protection Program funds under false pretenses. 

• Tamika N. Wilson, 44, of Belleville, two counts of wire fraud, two counts of material false statement and two counts of material false document. Wilson is accused of applying for and receiving over $40,000 in Paycheck Protection Program loans she was not entitled to.

“At the time of the alleged misconduct, Liggins, Scott and Wilson were full-time employees of the Veterans Affairs Regional Office in St. Louis County,” according to the news release.

A representative of the Veterans Affairs agency could not be reached for comment Wednesday regarding the current employment status of Liggins, Scott and Wilson. —>READ MORE HERE

California Attorney General Reports Over $20 Million Settlement with StubHub Over Ticket Refunds During COVID-19 Pandemic:

California Attorney General Rob Bonta on Thursday announced filing a rob bonta california attorney general 2021complaint and stipulated judgment resolving the investigation into ticket reseller StubHub, Inc. (StubHub) for failing to timely pay refunds to California consumers for canceled events during the COVID-19 pandemic. At the onset of the pandemic, StubHub failed to honor its advertised policy of providing full cash refunds for canceled events and instead issued consumers StubHub credit for future events. Following an investigation by the California Department of Justice, StubHub reversed its decision in May 2021 and began providing cash refunds to California consumers. The settlement, which was approved on Friday in Los Angeles Superior Court, includes strong injunctive terms for future StubHub ticket sales, a penalty of $295,000, and memorializes $20 million in cash refunds that StubHub provided to more than 45,000 California consumers following the commencement of this investigation.

“By failing to issue full cash refunds for canceled events during the pandemic, StubHub not only violated its advertised policy but also violated the trust of its consumers,” said Attorney General Bonta. “My office proudly works to keep California consumers safe from false or misleading business practices. If you believe you are the victim of false or misleading advertising, please report it to oag.ca.gov/report.”

StubHub operates one of the largest online ticket reselling marketplaces, where buyers purchase tickets to concerts, sports, and other events. StubHub had long advertised that consumers would receive full refunds for tickets purchased on its website or app if the event were later canceled. StubHub made this “FanProtect Guarantee” a central part of its marketing efforts. But in late March 2020, as mass events were canceled in response to COVID-19, StubHub announced a policy change in which consumers would instead receive 120% credit for future StubHub purchases, rather than a full refund for canceled events. This new policy was applied to new ticket purchases and to consumers who had already purchased tickets based on the prior FanProtect Guarantee.

The complaint alleges StubHub violated California’s Unfair Competition Law (UCL) and California’s False Advertising Law by misleading ticket buyers who relied on the advertised refund policy when purchasing tickets before March 2020.

In addition to $20 million in consumer restitution and a $295,000 penalty under the UCL, StubHub will have to comply with significant injunctive terms requiring StubHub to abide by the UCL and other consumer protection laws, including not violating California laws specific to event ticket sales. The negotiated terms also specifically prohibit StubHub from making any misrepresentations regarding its refund policies or failing to honor the existing refund policy unless it is modified by agreement with the informed consent of the consumer. —>READ MORE HERE

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