NEW ORLEANS — A former Amtrak employee has pleaded guilty to charges of making false statements and theft of government funds for actions related to money received under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.
Stacey V. Santemore, 46, of Houston, entered the plea on April 27 in U.S. District Court, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Louisiana said in a press release issued Friday.
Santemore had been charged with making false statements to fraudulently receive $89,000 in pandemic-relief loans, as more than $1,000 in CARES Act unemployment aid despite being fully employed by Amtrak [see “Amtrak worker charged …,” Trains News Wire, March 10, 2022].
He faces up to five years in prison, up to $250k,000 in fines, and up to three years of supervised release for the false-statements count, and up to 10 years in prison, up to $250,000 in fines, and up to three years of supervised release for the theft count. Sentencing is set for July 26, 2022.
The CARES money was ripe for theft. The program was poorly designed and poorly managed, as was predicted when it was enacted.
Easy money finds people’s weak moral spots. Some can’t resist temptation.