How good can a TikTook influencer make federal jail look?
Danielle Miller, 32, of Miami, Fla., amassed 1000’s of social media followers — practically 35,000 on Instagram alone as of Thursday afternoon — promoting her jetsetting and opulent way of life till all of it got here crashing down and she or he confronted federal prices that her lifestyle was funded by means of identification fraud.
She ripped off the common folks, together with a resident of Abington, and COVID-era small enterprise help grants to finance her lavish way of life at the least from July 2020 to when the preliminary federal criticism leveling a cost of wire fraud in opposition to her was filed in federal courtroom in Boston on May 10, 2021.
A federal indictment would come two months later. Two extra years of authorized tassels, throughout which she appeared to nonetheless submit to her social media accounts till early October of final 12 months, till she lastly copped a plea deal in July, by which she pleaded responsible to 3 counts of wire fraud and two counts of aggravated identification theft.
On Thursday, U.S. District Court Chief Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV sentenced Miami Dani to 5 years in federal jail, the time requested within the deal, to be adopted by three years of supervised launch, in addition to an as but undetermined by certain to be an enormous restitution.
It appears like her Instagram declare of “I’m not an influencer” has come true.
“Ms. Miller isn’t an influencer, she is a convicted felon. She stole the identities of innocent people to steal over $1.2 million in pandemic-relief loans that should have gone to people in need,” performing U.S. Attorney Joshua Levy stated in a press release following the sentencing. “In a quest for fleeting social media stardom, Ms. Miller relied on fraud to fund a lavish way of life of personal jets, luxurious residences and different accoutrements of wealth.
“Today’s sentencing should make it crystal clear that curating a high-society social media presence on the backs of hardworking taxpayers is a path to prison, not fleeting fame,” he continued.
In all, Miller used the identities of greater than 10 folks — she had counterfeit licenses made up with their names however her photograph — to prop up faux enterprise names to use for greater than $1 million in authorities advantages, in line with charging paperwork. This consists of applications and organizations together with the Massachusetts Department of Unemployment Assistance, plus related applications from 5 different states; the Economic Injury Disaster Loan funds by means of the U.S. Small Business Administration; federal Pandemic Unemployment Assistance and associated unemployment advantages.
Miller’s lawyer Mitchell Elman wrote in a pre-sentencing memo that Miller “understands the seriousness of her conduct and the way it was inconsistent together with her primary morality and conduct. To that finish, she has sought to make amends together with her household, the victims on this matter, the courtroom, and most significantly, with herself.
“While she is prepared to accept the court’s punishment, she wants you to understand that she is at the crossroads of her life and will be returning to the righteous path upon which she previously traveled. She asks you to give her a chance. You will not be disappointed.”
Source: www.bostonherald.com”