Mississippi man who defrauded pandemic relief fund out of $800K gets 18-month prison term

OXFORD, Miss. (AP) — A Mississippi man has been sentenced to 18 months in prison for defrauding a pandemic relief fund out of $800,000, authorities said.

Herman Nash, 63, pleaded guilty to fraud charges in April. On Monday, U.S. Senior District Judge Glen H. Davidson sentenced him to the prison time, followed by five years of supervised release. He must also pay $738,000 in restitution, and the IRS seized two vehicles from Nash worth more than $60,000.

Nash, of Caledonia, applied for three COVID-19 Economic Injury Disaster Loans, falsely claiming he had a business that generated $455,000 in gross revenue with $90,000 worth of goods sold, according to a news release from Clay Joyner, the U.S. attorney for northern Mississippi.

“This defendant stole money that was intended to help legitimate businesses survive during the COVID pandemic, and now he is paying the price for that conduct,” Joyner said.