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US Woman Went Shopping With $150k Virus Relief Loan

Shoppers clutch their Nordstrom bags [Representational Image] | REUTERS
Shoppers clutch their Nordstrom bags [Representational Image] | REUTERS
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US Woman Went Shopping With $150k Virus Relief Loan

Shoppers clutch their Nordstrom bags [Representational Image] | REUTERS
Shoppers clutch their Nordstrom bags [Representational Image] | REUTERS

A North Carolina woman who lied to get a coronavirus relief loan spent the money on shopping excursions to Nieman Marcus, Nordstrom, Louis Vuitton, and diamond stores, federal prosecutors said.

Jasmine Johnnae Clifton, 24, appeared in court Monday and was later released on $25,000 bond, according to a press release from the US Attorney´s Office for the Western District of North Carolina.

The release said Clifton applied in March for a Small Business Administration loan designed to provide relief to existing businesses harmed by pandemic shutdowns. She created false documents claiming $350,000 in gross revenue in 12 months for her online clothing business, Jazzy Jas, even though other paperwork filed in early 2020 showed the company was effectively dissolved in September 2019, it said.

The loan application was approved in early August and Clifton received $149,900, which she later spent at over two dozen retailers, also shopping at Ikea and Rooms to Go, the release said.

On Feb. 17, a grand jury indicted Clifton on wire fraud in relation to a disaster benefit and fraud in connection with major disaster or emergency benefits. If convicted, Clifton faces 30 years for each charge and a possible $1,250,000 combined fine.

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Thailand, Malaysia Brace for Fresh Wave of Floods as Water Levels Ease

An aerial view shows houses surrounded by floodwaters after heavy rain in Tumpat, Malaysia's Kelantan state on December 2, 2024. (AFP)
An aerial view shows houses surrounded by floodwaters after heavy rain in Tumpat, Malaysia's Kelantan state on December 2, 2024. (AFP)
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Thailand, Malaysia Brace for Fresh Wave of Floods as Water Levels Ease

An aerial view shows houses surrounded by floodwaters after heavy rain in Tumpat, Malaysia's Kelantan state on December 2, 2024. (AFP)
An aerial view shows houses surrounded by floodwaters after heavy rain in Tumpat, Malaysia's Kelantan state on December 2, 2024. (AFP)

Malaysia and Thailand are facing a second wave of heavy rain and potential flooding this week, authorities said on Monday, even as some displaced residents were able to return home and the worst floods in decades began receding in some areas.

Since last week, 27 people have died and more than half a million households in the neighboring Southeast Asian countries have been hit by torrential rain and flooding that authorities say have been the most severe in decades.

The immediate situation has improved in some areas and water levels have eased, according to government data on Monday.

In Malaysia, the number of people in evacuation shelters dropped to around 128,000 people, from 152,000 on Sunday, the disaster management agency's website showed.

The northeastern state of Kelantan, which has been the worst hit, was expected to face a fresh deluge from Dec. 4, the chief minister's office said in a Facebook post on Sunday.

"Although floodwater trends show a slight decrease, (the chief minister) stressed that vigilance measures must remain at the highest level," the post said.

Meanwhile, in southern Thailand, 434,000 households remain affected, the country's interior ministry said in a statement on Monday, down by about 100,000 from the weekend.

The government has provided food and supplies for those in the flood-hit areas, the ministry said, adding water levels in seven provinces were decreasing.

Thailand's Meteorological Department said people in the country's lower south should beware of heavy to very heavy rains and possible flash flooding and overflows, especially along foothills near waterways and lowlands, between Dec. 3-5.