Tampa, Fla. – Former NFL player Josh Bellamy was sentenced to three years and one month in federal prison for fraudulently obtaining more than $1.2 million in COVID-19 relief funds.
Bellamy, 32, of St.Petersburg, Florida, was sentenced Friday in Tampa federal court, according to court records. He pleaded guilty in June to conspiring to commit electronic fraud. In addition to the prison time, Bellamy also has to pay compensation.
Bellamy most recently played for New York Jets, who had him off the bench/fitness list in September 2020, just days before his arrest. The broadsweeper was included on the list in May of that year, ending his season before it even began. He signed a two-year, $5 million contract with New York in 2019 and played in seven games before sustaining a shoulder injury and being placed on the reserve list for a season-ending injury.
According to court documents, Bellamy obtained a $1.2 million Paycheck Protection Program loan to his company, Drip Entertainment LLC, using forged documents and information. false. Bellamy admitted to using the loan proceeds on personal items, such as jewelry, and staying at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino. Bellamy also sought loans on behalf of family members and close associates.
Bellamy also told investigators he paid more than $311,000 to an alleged accomplice, James Stote, as a kickback to him to assist in the preparation and filing of a fraudulent loan application, the companies said. said prosecutor.
As part of a similar scheme, a South Florida woman on Thursday was sentenced to two years in federal prison for fraudulently obtaining a PPP loan. According to court documents, Yashica Bain, 38, of Miramar, previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit electronic fraud. Prosecutors said she received a $415,232 PPP loan to her company, Microblading Brow Studio LLC, using forged documents and false information. She admitted to paying Stote more than $28,000 as kickbacks to help him prepare and submit fraudulent loan applications. She was also ordered to pay compensation
Stote was charged in June 2020 with wire fraud, bank fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud and bank fraud. His case is pending.
Bellamy has made 78 contacts in his career with 1,019 yards and five touchdowns in his eight NFL seasons. He signed with Kansas City as an untrained free agent out of Louisville in 2012. Bellamy spent time with San Diego and Washington before being asked for an exemption by Chicago in 2014. and played five seasons with the Bears.
The Paycheck Protection Program represents billions of dollars in forgivable small business loans to Americans struggling because of the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, which became federal law in March 2020.
