Former NFL player given three-year prison sentence for pandemic relief fraud

A former NFL player was sentenced to three years in prison for pandemic relief fraud, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced Friday. 

The DOJ said 32-year-old Joshua J. Bellamy will spend 37 months in prison for fraudulently getting a $1.2 million Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan.

Bellamy falsified documents and information for his company Drip Entertainment  and then used the money on things like jewelry and a vacation, according to the DOJ. 

He also paid an an alleged co-conspirator, James Stote, more than $300,000 to help him submit the fraudulent documents for the loan. 

Bellamy pleaded guilty in June to conspiracy to commit wire fraud in the Southern District of Florida. 

Along with his prison sentence, Bellamy will face three years of supervised release, and must pay back the money he fraudulently obtained and forfeit $1,246,565.