Perth Amboy Beauty Salon Owner Admits She Fraudulently Obtained Covid Loan: Feds
According to investigators, a 42-year-old woman from Perth Amboy entered a guilty plea on Wednesday, June 25, to unlawfully obtaining COVID-19 loans and pandemic unemployment insurance payments.
Valerio Damaris
According to U.S. Attorney Alina Habba, Damaris Valerio, the owner and operator of La Vogue House of Beauty, entered a guilty plea to wire fraud and money laundering.
Valerio submitted false and fraudulent applications between April 2020 and December 2021, inflating her company’s revenues, payroll expenses, and workforce size in order to fraudulently obtain $194,212 in COVID-19 emergency relief funds, which were intended for distressed small businesses and pandemic unemployment insurance benefits for unemployed workers, according to Habba.
Habba claimed that after obtaining the fictitious money, she used the money from the humanitarian efforts for her own benefit.
Valerio, who frequently shares inspirational videos on her Instagram, describes herself as an entrepreneur who is passionate about encouraging women. She most recently shared pictures at a graduation, but she hasn’t seemed to remark on her guilty plea.
When she is sentenced in October, she might receive a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.
