A Georgia man is currently facing a three-year jail sentence after it was discovered he used proceeds from a COVID-19 loan to purchase a rare Pokémon card.
According to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for Georgia’s Southern District, Vinath Oudomsine, 31, received $85,000 after applying to the Small Business Administration (SBA) for an Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL). He then later used $57,789 of those funds to buy a “Charizard” Pokémon card. A card matching this description — a first-edition, shadowless, and holographic Charizard card with a 9.5 gem mint rating — was sold at the PWCC marketplace for that price in late December.
Oudomsine was ordered to pay restitution of $85,000 and fined an additional $10,000. He also was sentenced to 36 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release.
Oh, and he doesn’t get to keep the card, either. It’s been turned over to prosecutors.