Daniela Rendon: Miami influencer faces TWO DECADES in prison for using Covid relief cash for cars and apartment
MIAMI, FLORIDA: Glamour over charity? A Miami influencer made her choice between the two and is now facing charges of federal fraud. Daniela Rendon, 31, a real estate broker and influencer, is accused of using Covid-19 relief funds on a new Bentley, cosmetic procedures, and a luxury apartment. She had received $381,000 from the Small Business Administration and Paycheck Protection Program and instead of giving the money to keep employees paid and fed during the pandemic, she had made fake transactions to friends and family to reap the benefits herself.
With the money that she had now pocketed, Rendon had splurged on a 2021 Bentley Bentyaga. She also managed to rent a Biscayne Bay apartment and used the money to pay for cosmetic procedures as well. It has also been informed that the influencer has used some of the funds to refurbish a pair of designer shoes. Rendon, who describes herself as an "Ultra Luxury Real Estate Agent," is currently facing the possibility of 20 years in prison for seven counts of wire fraud, one count of money laundering, and one count of identity theft.
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Rendon's elaborate laundering scheme
Rendon’s bond has been set at $150,000 and she is ready to fight the charges against her. All her social media pages have been set to private after she was arrested — the arrest coming a week after prosecutors had argued at her arraignment that she could try to escape to Columbia, where she hails from. Her social media handles feature her in some of the most luxurious cars, jets, and vacations.
The New York Post reports that the real estate broker had duplicated and falsified documents related to her business to be able to pull off the scheme. She had apparently also fabricated reports to lenders in other areas, like New Jersey and Idaho. Later on, she intersected the loan payments and routed them to herself and her intimates. She had a payroll processor based out of New Jersey process the loans and issued the checks to family and friends to be able to make use of it on her own.
More instances of Covid fund fraud
As unfortunate as the incident is, it is not the first time someone entrusted with money meant to help others has taken advantage of it for their own ends. NBC News reports that in August 2022, the Secret Service informed that it had recovered $286 million in Covid relief funds that were meant for small businesses but were wrongly given to fraudulent criminals who used fake identities.