A 31-year-old Georgia man applied for a loan from the Small Business Administration claiming it was for an "entertainment services" business according to state prosecutors and was given $85 thousand. However, officials were left baffled after learning that the man has spent a huge sum of the fund on a frivolous purchase of a Charizard card to add to his Pokémon collection.
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Remember the time when there was great Pokemon fever? There were people out there who were willing to go to great lengths to acquire missing pieces of their collections.
One of that kind man has been arrested in Dublin, Georgia, who now faces 36 months in federal prison after applying for a fraudulent pandemic relief loan.
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The 31-year-old Vinath Oudomsine applied for a loan from the Small Business Administration claiming it was for an "entertainment services" business according to state prosecutors and was given $85 thousand.
Oudomsine also said that his business has 10 employees and took in $235 thousand in gross revenue in the year preceding the pandemic.
Laurens County Sheriff's Office; Justin Sullivan
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However, his fraud was later busted as officials discovered Oudomsine spent $57,789 of those funds to buy a Charizard card to add to his Pokémon collection.
Laurens County Sheriff's Office; Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
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Twitter reacted to the man's fraud
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Many even wondered if he would be allowed to play Pokémon while in prison
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Some condemned him for using pandemic relief for such a petty purchase
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He was also given three years of supervised release after his prison term
However, the most painful part of his punishment was when Oudomsine had to forfeit the Charizard card.
U.S. Attorney David H. Estes released a statement regarding Oudomsine's arrest.
"Congress appropriated funding to assist small businesses struggling through the challenges of a global pandemic."
"Like moths to the flame, fraudsters like Oudomsine took advantage of these programs to line their own pockets — and with our law enforcement partners, we are holding him and others accountable for their greed."
Though usually done more ethically and within limits, spending huge sums of money on rare Pokemon cards is not an uncommon occurrence.
According to The Washington Post, a first edition box set of Pokémon trading cards was reportedly sold for $400 thousand.
In fact, YouTuber Logan Paul reportedly paid $150 thousand for a Charizard card.
And rapper Logic reportedly won the first edition Charizard card at an auction with a bid of $220 thousand.