Woman sentenced for defrauding Merrillville nonprofit
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A U.S. District Court judge has sentenced an Illinois woman to two years in prison after she pleaded guilty to a felony charge of wire fraud.
Valencia Franklin, 52, was accused of bilking Merrillville-based nonprofit Geminus Corp. out of $636,000 in federal Emergency Rental Assistance funds, according to the Chicago Tribune.
Acting U.S. Attorney Tina Nommay’s office said in 2021, Franklin, who worked for Geminus, prepared fraudulent applications for Emergency Rental Assistance by falsely claiming her family members were landlords for certain properties.
The Emergency Rental Assistance funds were meant to support local residents adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead, the funds issued through the fraudulent applications went to Franklin herself and others.
In addition to the prison term, Judge Philip Simon sentenced Franklin to one year of supervised release and ordered to pay $352,300 in restitution to Geminus.