Couple who claimed to be farmers in COVID-19 aid scheme sentenced to prison

A Florida couple on Wednesday was sentenced to prison for claiming to be farmers in a COVID-19 aid scheme, according to a statement from the Department of Justice (DOJ). 

DOJ issued a statement Wednesday that Latoya Stanley and Johnny Philus were sentenced to serve 18- and 30-month stints in prison respectively after admitting in a plea deal that they stole $1 million from fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program and Economic Injury Disaster Loan applications.  

According to court documents, Stanley claimed $800,000 in income to employ five people on a farm that was based in her Miami home and Philus claimed $400,000 income to hire 10 people for a farm that was based at a small residential home. 

The couple claimed that they hired 47 people for their individual companies, however, those separate farms did not exist, according to the DOJ statement. 

Stanley, 38, and Philus, 33, plead guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud in March.