Man pleads guilty to faking COVID-19 diagnosis that cost employer $100K

 A Georgia man who faked a COVID-19 diagnosis to get out of work has pleaded guilty to the scheme that cost his employer tens of thousands of dollars, prosecutors said.

Santwon Antonio Davis, 35, of Morrow, pleaded guilty to wire fraud for sending his employer a bogus medical excuse letter about a COVID-19 diagnosis in May, the US Attorney’s Office in Atlanta said Monday.

Upon learning of his supposed test results, his Atlanta-based employer shut down its plant for sanitizing and placed several other employees on paid leave — resulting in a more than $100,000 blow to the business, prosecutors said.

Davis admitted that he never actually contracted the virus while working for the unnamed Fortune 500 company, according to prosecutors.

“The defendant caused unnecessary economic loss to his employer and distress to his coworkers and their families,” US Attorney Byung J. Pak said in a statement.

Davis also pleaded guilty to bank fraud for submitting false information to a mortgage company.

While he was out on bond for the wire fraud charge, Davis submitted a mortgage application that included false earnings and employment history, prosecutors said.

But news reports about his bogus COVID-19 diagnosis helped the company uncover that fraud, prosecutors said.

His sentencing date has not been set yet.

 

Source: New York Post