Roger B. Handberg, U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Florida
Orlando, Florida – The United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg has announced the filing of a criminal complaint against Carolina Amesty, a 30-year-old resident of Windermere. She is charged with two counts of theft of government property related to COVID relief fraud. Each count carries a potential penalty of up to 10 years in federal prison.
The charges are allegations at this stage, and Amesty is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
The investigation into this case is being conducted by the U.S. Small Business Administration–Office of Inspector General and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant United States Attorneys Megan Testerman and Diane Hu will prosecute the case.
In May 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force. This task force was created to enhance efforts to combat pandemic-related fraud by working in partnership with various government agencies. Its goal is to investigate and prosecute those most culpable for such frauds and support agencies administering relief programs by improving coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to detect fraudulent schemes, and sharing information from previous enforcement actions.
For more details on the Department's response to pandemic-related issues, individuals can visit www.justice.gov/coronavirus.
Anyone who has information about attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it through the Justice Department’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline or via their web complaint form at www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
