A man convicted last year of staging a fake holdup of his armored truck pleaded guilty Wednesday to filing a bogus application for COVID-19 funds while he was locked up on the original charge.
Jonah Tamoni Bessard, 26, of Mobile, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to wire fraud. He filed an application for a loan from the Paycheck Protection Program, which Congress created as part of the Coronavirus, Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act to help businesses impacted by the pandemic.
Court records state that a series of “selfies” that Bessard submitted with his application to verify his identity show a bunk bed and light fixture in the background, indicating that he was in the Clarke County Jail at the time awaiting sentencing in the armored truck case. During a “compliance check,” staffers at the jail in June 2021 found Bessard had a cell phone containing images of himself and evidence that he used the device to communicate and conduct financial transactions using Cash App.
Bessard previously admitted that he loaded up his Brink’s truck with cash belonging to New Horizon Credit Union in January 2021 and then drove to the Doug’s Quick Mart on Higgins Road. He bought coffee and then came back to the vehicle, where he feigned being the victim of a holdup, according to court documents. Court records show he made off with roughly $500,000.
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