A Louisiana woman pleaded guilty to theft of public money in connection with a scheme to misappropriate over $780,000 from the Provider Relief Fund (PRF), a COVID-19 pandemic relief program administered by the Health Resources and Services Administration. According to court documents, Melissa J. Watson, of Slidell, operated a primary care clinic. Following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Watson submitted false and fraudulent attestations on behalf of her clinic to obtain PRF funds to which she was not entitled. Watson’s attestations included falsely affirming that such funds would only be used by the clinic to prevent, prepare for, and respond to coronavirus, and to reimburse healthcare related expenses or lost revenues attributable to coronavirus. Despite the attestations, Watson used the PRF funds for personal purposes, including making numerous cash withdrawals and purchasing, among other items, hundreds of thousands of dollars in real estate, a luxury vehicle, a boat and trailer, and a time share condominium. The government seized over $500,000 in bank accounts held by Watson, along with several assets, including a boat and trailer, and a Range Rover Sport vehicle.
