A Hampton woman under court supervision for mail fraud used pandemic-assistance programs to fatten her bank account and spent the money on gambling, travel and clothing.
Lapondia Wallace, 53, was responsible for at least 22 fraudulent pandemic loan applications and five additional fraudulent applications for pandemic unemployment insurance benefits, according to court documents.
On Tuesday, Wallace was sentenced to five years in prison for identity theft and leading a conspiracy to defraud the government and financial institutions.
The fraud resulted in more than $250,000 in losses to the United States and the Commonwealth of Virginia.
Wallace withdrew substantial amounts of the fraud proceeds as U.S. currency before they could be seized.
Wallace has at least 25 prior convictions for fraud, forgery and related offenses, including a 2021 federal conviction for mail fraud.
In her prior federal case, Wallace and her co-conspirators repeatedly filed fraudulent insurance claims.
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Crystal Graham
