US Instagram Influencer Admits $1 Million COVID Relief Fraud

Federal prosecutors say self-proclaimed con artist Danielle Miller used stolen identities to obtain pandemic loans.

A social media influencer pleaded guilty to using stolen identities to fraudulently obtain more than $1 million in COVID-related small business loans aid programs in the U.S.

Danielle Miller’s lavish lifestyle, which she flaunted on Instagram, came crashing down when she was arrested in May 2021 at her luxury apartment in Miami, Florida.

Miller appeared by video before a federal judge in Boston Monday to plead guilty to charges of wire fraud and aggravated identity theft.

The 33-year-old woman agreed to forfeit $1.3 million and serve six years in prison, 16 months of which may coincide with a five-year sentence she received in October for another Florida bank fraud case. She is scheduled to be sentenced on June 27.

Miller’s story captured the public’s attention while underscoring the rampant fraud That accompanied a government rush to distribute more than $5 trillion in relief funds to people, businesses, and local governments affected by the pandemic in the US.

Last week, the White House said US President Joe Biden plans to ask Congress to provide $1.6 billion in new funding to combat fraud related to aid programs.

The US Government Accountability Office said last month that more than 1,000 people have been convicted of fraud related to federal COVID relief.

For her part, Miller told New York Magazine in February 2022 that she considered herself a “con artist.”

The article detailed Miller’s progression from student at the prestigious Horace Mann School to socialite whose lifestyle quickly became dependent on crime. Her father is a lawyer and former president of the New York State Bar Association.

Miller had previously been arrested for using fake credit cards at a New York City spa and was sentenced to one year in prison.

After she was released, prosecutors said Miller used the identities of more than 10 people to fraudulently open bank accounts and obtain pandemic-related loans for small businesses.

He used the money to travel and luxury shopping including a Rolex watch, a Louis Vuitton bag and Dior shoes, authorities said.