Tamarac Woman and BSO SWAT Team Member, Convicted in COVID-19 Relief Fraud Scheme

by Sharon Aron Baron June 7, 2024

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Tamarac Woman and BSO SWAT Team Member, Convicted in COVID-19 Relief Fraud Scheme

Alexandra “Alex” Acosta {Facebook}

A federal jury in Miami convicted Alexandra Acosta, a 38-year-old Broward Sheriff’s Office deputy and SWAT team member from Tamarac, on charges related to a COVID-19 relief fraud scheme.

The conviction includes conspiracy to defraud the Small Business Administration (SBA), two counts of making false statements to the SBA, and wire fraud.

In 2021, Acosta conspired with her tax preparer, Vilsaint St Louis, to obtain a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan under false pretenses.

Acosta, who posed as a realtor, submitted falsified IRS tax forms and overstated her average monthly income for 2019 to secure the loan.

The fraudulent application resulted in a PPP loan totaling over $20,000, including interest, which Acosta later sought and received forgiveness for.

During the scheme, Acosta was not only a deputy sheriff but also the first and only female member of the BSO SWAT team.

The sentencing hearing is scheduled for August 27 before U.S. Senior District Judge Robert N. Scola. Acosta faces up to 20 years in prison for the wire fraud conviction, five years for the conspiracy conviction, and two years for each of the false statement convictions.

Acosta’s coconspirator, St Louis, previously pleaded guilty and was sentenced to one year of probation, a $5,000 fine, and 100 hours of community service.

The case was investigated by the Office of Inspector General for the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the Broward Sheriff’s Office, and the FBI Miami Field Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Trevor Jones and Adam Love are handling the prosecution, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Darren Grove is managing asset forfeiture.

The conviction of Acosta is part of a broader effort by the Department of Justice to combat COVID-19-related fraud. The Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force in May 2021 to enhance efforts to prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Southern District of Florida’s U.S. Attorney’s Office leads one of three national COVID-19 Fraud Strike Force Teams focusing on large-scale pandemic relief fraud.

Anyone with information about COVID-19 fraud can report it to the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.

Related court documents and information are available on the District Court for the Southern District of Florida’s website, flsd.uscourts.gov.

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Sharon Aron Baron

Sharon Aron Baron is the Editor of Tamarac Talk, Coral Springs Talk, Margate Talk, Coconut Creek Talk and Parkland Talk. Tamarac Talk was created in 2011 to provide News for the residents of Tamarac and is the #1 News Source for Residents.